Teaching Assistant
by ArouraStar
Summary: AU All human. The characters are at college. Magnus is getting ready for another two hours of boredom when certain blue eyed, black haired boy comes in the room in place of his teacher. He instantly decides that he needs to get to know this "Alec" guy better, the only problem is he's never seen him before & doesn't know how to find him again once class is over. Malec & Heronstairs
1. Chapter 1

**Hello pretties! So this started as a non fanfic idea, then turned into an AU Malec. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Well, I've never done an AU before, and until recently I didn't even like them. However, I like what I've got so far and I hope you all do too. There should be PLENTY of recognizable names, and I tried to keep most of the relationships similar, but you will notice some slight differences. Bare with me. It had to make sense within the story. It's rated T for language and likely steamy situations in the future. The story will be entirely from Magnus's point of view, I think. At least for now. I'll let you know if that changes though. **

**Please review and let me know if you want me to keep going. Encouraging words give me motivation. **

**Also, if there are any errors let me know so I can fix them. **

**ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the Mortal Instruments characters, or any of the movies I mention in italics. Don't sue me!**

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**Wednesday Sept 20 Chapter 1: How to Make the First Move**

_Yesterday I met the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Or at the very least a few hot nights and lazy mornings**...**_

* * *

I was sitting in my usual place in class, towards to back, close to the door. Usually I make it a habit to sit in the front of classes, in an attempt to make the teachers like me as much as possible (I may need their references later..) or so that I could pay my utmost attention and not be tempted to take out my phone and play on it for the duration, but this particular class was an intro level: anthropology 101, and the teacher was particularly dry and dull. Besides, I knew the subject well enough that I probably could've taught the class myself.

Anthropology was a side passion of mine. One of those things I found incredibly interesting, but not enough so to devote endless years of my life to in order to get a PhD and work in a museum until I was as ancient as the artifacts I looked after.

No, that is not a life for Magnus Bane.

My future requires more excitement; more thrill. So here I am, a second year art student majoring in photography and minoring in journalism with the hopes and prayers that one day I'll get to travel the world and become a famous photojournalist.

That's the plan at least.

So anyway, back to when I met _him_.

I was just settling into my seat, my notebook open in front of me in the off chance that Dr. Stevens actually said something of importance, my pen resting on top of it, my orange and yellow metal water bottle sitting on the edge of my desk, and my phone casually resting on the open pages of my notebook. I was flipping through the app store, attempting to find something worth my time in the free game section when I heard his voice.

It was melodic and strong, though I detected a slight nervous edge to it, as if he was unused to speaking in front of so many people (though, being an evening class, there were only about 60 people enrolled, half of which had bothered to show up).

"Good evening everyone. My name is Alec and I am Dr. Stevens' TA. I usually help out with his larger classes, but he's sick tonight so I'm filling in." There was a noticeable groan from many of my classmates, wishing the teacher had just cancelled class so they could have the evening free to do other things. I didn't really mind for two reasons: 1. This TA was incredibly gorgeous, like stare-opened-mouthed-and-speechless gorgeous, and 2. I had nothing better to do on a Wednesday night than stare at him and waste time in this classroom. I was caught up on all of my homework and had morning classes starting at 8am (scheduled by the devil himself) the next day. Not a great night to go out drinking or partying.

"I know, I know, I'm sure everyone would rather just have class cancelled than be stuck with the boring TA for two and a half hours watching some obscure ethnography that half of you probably don't care about because you're not even anthropology majors. Well, I'm going to give everyone a choice: option one is that you stay in class, watch some clips from my favorite sci-fi movies, discussing what Hollywood got right and what it got wrong, and earn a little bit of extra credit, option two is that you can leave right now. It won't count against you, but Stevens doesn't often offer extra credit, so if you think you'll need the help, you might want to suffer through. If not, have a good night." He spoke as if he'd practiced this speech in front of a mirror before coming in. His uneasiness at being authoritative was, I have to admit, extremely cute.

I was surprised at his deal, and the fact that over half of the class got up and left. They were already here, why give up the free extra credit? I really didn't predict needing it, especially after receiving a 100% on my first exam, but I definitely wasn't going to pass up this opportunity, especially since it meant I got to spend the next two and a half hours staring at the sexy black haired, blue eyed TA.

"Well, that was to be expected." He laughed, almost as if talking to himself. God it was a beautiful sound. Like an angel. He opened his shoulder bag and pulled out a laptop and a black spiral notebook. He ripped a page out of the notebook and wrote something at the top of it, then looked back at the class. "Now that there are so many more empty seats, everyone should move up a bit closer so I don't have to feel like I'm yelling."

I looked down at my perfectly arranged desk, and sighed, taking about two seconds to make my choice between sitting behind everyone else or up in one of the newly emptied seats at the front of the class so I could get a better view of Mr. Blue Eyes.

It was _not_ a difficult decision.

I was the only person to choose a front seat. The third and fourth rows filled up and a few people moved to the second.

_Well, I feel like a prat_. I thought, though I didn't regret my choice. From here I could _really_ take in the view. Alec was tall, though probably a few inches shorter than me, with short black hair that fell messily into his eyes every time he looked down at his computer screen. His skin was pale and I could see the outline of a muscular (and begging to be touched) chest underneath his black t-shirt. He had a slender frame, but was chiseled nonetheless. He biceps were deliciously well defined and his hands looked strong and soft; long, delicate fingers fiddled with some cables, trying to hook it up so that we could watch the aforementioned sci-fi flicks. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw him bite his lower lip in concentration.

He was too sexy for his own good. Or mine.

"There we go." He mumbled to himself in triumph as a DVD title screen popped up on the projector screen. He looked back at the class and laughed again. "I don't bite." He said, referencing the fact that there was an almost entirely empty row of seats between him and the students. He handed the piece of paper he'd ripped out of his notebook earlier to me saying, "since you're so brave you can start this off," then louder he added "everyone make sure your name is on the role, otherwise I won't be able to give you the extra credit points."

Was it just me or did I notice those pale cheeks turn decidedly pinker when our fingers brushed as he handed it over?

I scrawled my name as neatly and beautifully as I could then passed it behind me. I got a whiff of his cologne when he'd handed it to me. God he smelled delicious! Like he'd just stepped out of a steamy shower.

My mind had immediately started to wander into a naughty realm thinking about our sexy TA in the shower when the lights turned off and someone sat down next to me.

_Oh God_. He was sitting next to me. So close! I could smell his amazing scent and our arms were nearly touching because of how close the desks were arranged. My heart started to beat faster and I was suddenly acutely aware of every move he made.

_What the hell Magnus?! _I mentally scolded myself. _You don't get butterflies over _people_, people get butterflies over _you_._ This was the first time I had been so affected by another human's presence since I'd first hit puberty and discovered that my friend Camille had developed these things called boobs while she was away at summer camp. That had been a fleeting affair lasting three weeks, involving many "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" scenarios and my discovery that "mine" was a lot more interesting than "yours", if you catch my drift. Camille was pretty offended at first, until she realized that my opinion was the minority and there were plenty of boys in our class that would be more than willing to carry around her books and give her their desserts in exchange for a quick fondle behind the bleachers.

"Ok, so I want everyone to pay attention to how anthropology and/or its sub-fields are described and used. After about twenty minutes I'm going to stop the film and we'll spend some time talking about it, then move on to the next one. I'll start with everyone's favorite archaeologist and adventurer." Alec clicked a few buttons on his laptop and our movie began. It was _Raiders of the Lost Ark_. That happened to be one of my favorite movies growing up. So much adventure and witty dialogue.

We watched about five minutes of a scene then switched to another, basically condensing a 115 minute masterpiece into a 20 minute montage.

When it was over Alec got up from his seat, clicked on the light, and leaned up against the front of the desk.

Right in front of me.

I gazed into those baby blues, trying to look like an attentive student and not love-struck puppy. (Not sure if I succeeded or not, because he held my stare for a moment then looked away quickly, clearing his throat, and I noticed that telltale flush was back).

"So, anyone in here _not_ familiar with this movie before tonight?" He asked the class. Everyone shook their head so he continued, "ok, well in the past four weeks what have you learned in this class that either agrees with or contradicts something in that cinematic masterpiece?"

_He thinks it's a masterpiece too. We have something in common_. I smiled inwardly.

A few students raised their hands and blathered on about tomb raiding and cataloging. He asked everyone's names, trying to make the atmosphere more comfortable, like we were all a bunch of friends sitting around chatting anthropology. You know, the usual.

After a few minutes he turned the lights back out and sat back down, starting a new movie. _The Mummy_. Once we'd seen all the parts he found most relevant, he repeated the drill from before. This time asking for different people to talk.

A girl in the fourth row raised her hand and he called on her. "My name is Jenna." Jenna spoke with a lot of um's, well's and like's, making me want to stab her with my glittery blue pen, but I refrained. Settling instead for rolling my eyes at her assertion that "um well it's just like totally unrealistic the way that they just like dig stuff up and move it without recording it or anything. Don't real archaeologists have to like do those grid things and make maps and well all that stuff?"

Alec massaged his temples and took a deep breath. "Would anyone like to comment on that before I answer her question?" He looked straight at me. He'd caught me rolling my eyes. "How about you," he looked at the role, "Magnus is it?"

Mmmmm the way my name sounded on his lips... I could get used to hearing that.

I snapped out of my little fantasy and shrugged; here it was, my chance to impress him with my vast intellect.

"I think she's wrong about the movie."

"And why is that?" He raised an eyebrow, as if challenging me.

"Because she's not taking the time frame or location into consideration. Systematic archaeological digs with grids didn't become widespread until the time of the Great Depression when the New Deal archaeology took hold in America. Even afterwards, it took a while before the Brits caught on. There were a few Englishmen who tried to emphasize cataloging and the like, such as Sir Flinders Petrie, but that was just starting to come into play during the very late 1800's, thus most of the techniques we observed, crude as they may seem, would not have been that far from reality."

He looked impressed. _Good_.

"Magnus is correct. You all will learn a lot more about New Deal archaeology if you end up going on to take archaeology 103, which is a requirement if you're majoring in anthropology. Now, are there any other comments before we move on?" No hands rose up, so we moved on.

The next film he'd picked was _Stargate_, another of my guilty pleasures, though the series was much better than the film in my opinion. _Looks like we have the same taste in movies, that's promising._ I still couldn't stop thinking about how all I wanted to do was throw him on the desk and have my wicked way with him; it was a really good thing this was an extra credit class and I didn't need to be learning anything. I'm pretty sure my mind was becoming increasingly incapable of thinking of anything but risqué scenarios between myself and Mr. Blue Eyes as the evening progressed.

I must've made an impression on him though because at the end of _Stargate_, and the next two films, he called on me to speak, (breaking his own rule of having a different person pipe up each time might I add). When he looked at me to ask me about something it was as if we were the only two people in the room. I wished we were.

At the end of our Q & A for the fifth film, _Avatar_, Alec thanked everybody for staying and participating and said they could go, even though there was still about thirty minutes left of our allotted class time.

I gathered up my things, sad to have to leave the presence of the gorgeous creature standing behind the desk, packing his laptop away.

_Magnus Bane! You are a sexy devil and _never_ one to be shy around guy, especially one who looks younger, and shorter, than you. The worst he can say is no, and if so, so what. You'll probably never see him again after Stevens gets better so man up and go get that boy's phone number! _I scolded myself mentally as I slowly finished putting my things in my bag. It was just me and him in the room now, me standing there like an idiot and him making sure he hadn't forgotten to turn anything off.

_Ok, it's now or never._

"Hey Alec," I started, giving him a smile that could melt the glaciers (or so I've been told). Alec turned around quickly, apparently just now aware that there was someone else still in the room with him.

There was that blush. A little deeper this time.

"Magnus, what can I help you with?"

I could tell he was still trying to sound teacher-ish. It was adorable.

"I was wondering if you were free to hang out sometime outside of class." I walked closer to him and leaned against the desk in front of him. He looked, was that nervous or something else? I couldn't tell.

"You don't seem like you need any outside help with this class." He laughed slightly, smiling warmly up at me. "Hell you probably would've done a better job than me up here tonight."

"I doubt that," I flattered, "I thought the class was really interesting. Much better than the last four have been. No offense to your boss." I added hastily; the last thing I needed was a teacher with a grudge.

"Ha, none taken. His classes can really be a drag sometimes. Especially if the information isn't something new, which I'm guessing it's not to you. Are you majoring in anthropology?" He had slyly changed the subject without answering my question, but that was ok. I'd let it slide for a few minutes, as long as I got my answer in the end.

"No. I'm a photography major with a journalism minor. Anthropology is just a hobby. And it was an elective option for my minor, so I figured 'hey, why not'."

"Easy A huh?"

God that smile was beautiful. Those lips looked so pink and soft...

"Yeah I guess. So what about you? Obviously you're pretty into this."

"That's one way to put it. I've wanted to be an anthropologist since I was 12. A linguistic anthropologist to be precise. I'm in my third year here, working on my double major in anthro and French."

"Oh parlez-vous le français?" I asked, trying my best to make my four week old knowledge of the French language sound sexy.

Alec raised an eyebrow and replied. "Oui, je parle un peu le français. Où avez-vous appris à le parler?"

Hmm... perhaps I should have thought that one through a bit more.

"Eh, je m'appelle Magnus, je suis de New York." I said with mock confidence. We both laughed when I'd finished reciting my name and where I was from. I was pretty positive that's not what he's asked, but it was just about all I knew how to say, unless he asked me to conjugate the verb _to be_.

"101?" He asked, smiling that warm smile at me again. We were standing very close now. When did that happen?

"Yeah," I replied sheepishly. He seemed to be going for this cute, slightly embarrassed thing so I figured I'd play it up a bit. Why not?

"Maybe you should wait a little while before you start trying to strike up anymore conversations in French," he joked. It didn't sound at all mean or condescending coming from him, as it probably would have coming from anyone else.

"Agreed."

I was staring into those gorgeous blue depths when the magical moment was interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet and unzipping backpacks. Alec looked down at his watch and made a face. "Whoops, its ten to seven, we should get out of here, unless you want to stay for..." he looked around at the filling classroom and stopped a girl who was walking past. "Which class is this?" He asked. She looked at him like he was an idiot, which I suppose was valid since we just looked like two students standing in the middle of an unknown class. "Sexuality is power: the female struggle for power through the ages."

"Uh yeah, not staying for that. Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him along out of the classroom, not letting go until we were halfway down the hall.

"That girl looked like she wanted to punch you when you said that." Alec laughed as we walked along together, putting his hands in the pockets of his faded dark blue jeans.

"She probably just wanted to punch me for being male." Alec laughed again then stopped abruptly and put on a more serious face.

It was so adorable.

"That's not very nice." He chastised. _How p.c. of him. _

"Doesn't make it any less true." I nudged his shoulder with mine. That got a smile back on those lips. And on mine; touching him felt electric, even though the layers of our clothing.

We walked slowly down the bright hallway, standing comfortably close together, like old friends, even though we'd only just met. The hall was quiet except for the slight echo of our feet meeting with the off-white linoleum; my bright green converse padding rhythmically with his faded black combat boots. We exited through the large double doors, the cool October air hitting us with a blast. Alec hugged his arms around himself tightly, his this cotton t-shirt not providing much resistance to the chill. I wished I had brought a jacket I could offer him. I usually ran hot, thus my jackets usually didn't get pulled out of their place in the back of my closet until mid-December, unless it was strictly a fashion choice. I was in a t-shirt as well, though mine was V-necked and deep emerald to bring out my eyes.

"I'm parked right over there," he said, pointing at a building a block from where we were standing, and in the opposite direction of where I was parked. "I should, eh, get going, I have a stack of papers to grade, this extra credit to input, and a medical anthropology paper due at 4pm tomorrow." He ran a hand through his hair, giving it a sexy tousled look that I imagined was similar to how he looked waking up in the morning.

"Geez that sucks. Well, it was great talking with you." I wanted to hug him, but he didn't seem the type to be cool with that after only having known me for three hours so I settled for a handshake.

"Yeah you too. Good luck with your French," he winked at me then turned away quickly, though not before I noticed his face turning bright crimson.

* * *

It was only after I had watched him walk to his parking deck and was halfway back to mine that I realized I'd never gotten his number.

_Shit_.

There was only one thing to do.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, hitting the #1 speed dial. The phone rang twice and I heard the voice on the other end say hello.

"Will, I need your excellent stalking skills. I'll be home with a bottle of rum and carton of butterscotch ice cream in twenty minutes. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a party." The voice replied.

If anyone could help me find the best place to accidentally on purpose bump into my gorgeous blue eyed TA again, it was Will.


	2. How to Stalk Your Future Boyfriend

**Helllooooo everyone! Thank you SO much for all the lovely reviews! They make me smile so much and I love hearing what you all think and feel. As a reward I am posting this chapter up WAAAYYY too soon (though I have been writing all day long and have a couple chapters written in reserve so it's ok. I just need to resist and try to make it at least three days between posts or I'll probably catch up with myself). Please keep letting me know what you think. Will and Jace are introduced in this chapter and, hopefully, you don't hate me for messing with their relationship. As I said before, it works for this story so that's what you get. **

**Also, I've decided to do a couple chapters in Alec's point of view. They will cover the same time as the Magnus chapters, just from Alec POV. Hopefully you like them. **

**To anyone who thought the first chapter was dialogue heavy, bear with me through this one and I promise it gets better. Especially in chapter three. **

**And yes I am an Anthropology and History major (possibly French minor), so that's where that came from. I'm glad it was so well received (I love my major). **

**And yes: where there's a Will, there is a Jem... *wink* **

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**Wednesday Sept 20 Chapter 2: How to Stalk Your Future Boyfriend**

My roommate, Will Herondale, and I live off campus in a small, three bedroom row house in the heart of the city. Not the safest _looking _neighborhood, but the crime rate was surprisingly low, as was the rent. Will is a nurse, a grade A pain in the ass, and my best friend. Has been since the 9th grade when he beat up a kid twice his size who had made it his job to trip me as often as possible and call me derogatory names every day. After that, no one ever messed with me again, and if they did, Will would make sure it didn't last long.

That was just the kind of guy he was. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that Will is a big brother and after his parents died he felt like it was his responsibility to look after his siblings, and everyone else he cared about. Will was twelve when his parents had their accident, his sister Cecily was ten and his baby brother Jace was only eight. They went to live with their aunt and uncle, who, as it just so happened, lived in my parent's neighborhood (hence our going to the same high school), and were the nicest people on earth, but Will still felt the desire to get out of there as soon as possible. He hated feeling like a burden to anyone. He took dual enrollment classes during our junior and senior years, while I improved my kissing techniques and mastered the art of liquid eyeliner, and he'd managed to get a job in nursing that paid him enough to get his own place by his nineteenth birthday. He'd been living here since then, working at the city hospital in physical therapy and taking night classes in an attempt to get his RN, which he had succeeded at last year, right about the time I'd moved in with him and started my college career.

I wish I'd had his determination. Here I was a twenty two, starting my second year of college, living with my best friend who was six months younger than me, _and _a graduate with a full time job. I'd spent the gap between eighteen and twenty one working at a nightclub waiting tables for just as many hours as I needed to pay for my wardrobe full of clothes and shoes and my various cosmetic needs (which turned out to be almost forty hours a week) and partying when I wasn't at working. Eventually I realized, with a lot of help (and by help I mean yelling) from Will, that I couldn't work as a waiter my whole life and I probably should get my shit together.

I slid my key into the deadbolt and unlocked it with a _click_, pushing the door open with my shoulder seeing as my hands were full of booze and butterscotch.

"The rum is here!" Will shouted as I came through the door.

"I'm so glad to see you too!" I replied sarcastically as I closed the door with my foot and walked over to the kitchen.

Will got up off the overstuffed, orange couch and followed. "So who are we stalking today?" He inquired playfully getting two bowls out of the cabinet while I poured the piña colada mix, pineapple, and ice into the blender. "He must be really cute, you bought the good stuff." He indicated the expensive bottle of rum as he handed it over. I unscrewed the cap and poured; no need to measure. If it wasn't enough we could just add more to taste and if it was too much, well, there's no such thing as too much rum.

"His name is Alec and he is more than cute! He has the most _gorgeous _blue eyes I have ever seen, no offense," Will was also a blue eyed, black haired beauty, but it looked so different on him than it did on Alec. For one thing, Will wasn't as pale so there wasn't such a stark contrast between skin and hair color. For another, though I love my friend, his eyes held none of that old soul deepness that Alec's did. At least not in my opinion. Just stubbornness and snarky wit, and occasionally hellfire rage. That was something all the Herondale's possessed and it made them a force to be reckoned with.

"None taken. Not everyone is evolved enough to appreciate the piece of heavenly work that is Will Herondale."

I laughed. "I think you've been spending too much time with that bratty kid brother of yours. His conceit is catching."

"Haha probably. I really should limit his nights over here to three a week."

"Or you could charge him rent. At least make him buy his own groceries. Every time I buy a new pack of Oreos they disappear within the hour!" I complained over the noise of the blender.

"Or you could just stop buying Oreos. Do you know what that junk does to your body?" He had that I'm-superior-to-you-because-I-took-nutrition-and-d on't-eat-junk-food look on his face. It was a pretty amazing feat to pull off considering he had a spoonful of ice cream up to his lips.

"Look who's talking? Butterscotch hypocrite!" I poured the piña coladas into their tall glasses, garnished them with some more fresh pineapple chunks and pulled out the wide straws and long spoons from the second drawer down.

This had been a rather common indulgence for us since we'd discovered rum at age sixteen, so our kitchen was well prepared.

Will just shrugged his shoulders and replied "it's organic." As if that somehow counteracted all the other ingredients that were bad for his body. I just shook my head and went back to the den to get comfy on the couch. Will carried our (very full) ice cream bowls behind me and settled down next to me.

"Ok, so his name is Alec and he has blue eyes. That's not a lot to go on Bane. Did you happen to get a last name?" He stretched his jean clad legs out under the coffee table, reclining his head back on one of our Indonesian patterned throw pillows. He'd complained about them when I'd first bought them, calling the hideous and a waste of money, but as soon as he'd put one on his head and realized how much like lying on a cloud it was he'd caved and they'd been on the couch ever since.

"Ah, well he didn't introduce himself with one. Just _Alec_" I let the name linger on my tongue.

"Of course he didn't. Why would he want to make my life easy? Alright, got any other details that might help identify him?" He huffed through another mouthful of ice cream.

"He's an anthropology teaching assistant for Dr. Stevens, he speaks French and he has great taste in movies. Oh, and he parks in the Lee St. deck."

Will just stared at me for a minute in silence.

"Magnus Bane, have you truly _talked _to this person or have you gone completely out of your mind and moved up to _actually_ stalking your prey now?" He spoke slowly and delicately as if talking to a mental patient who might snap at any moment. He rested a hand on my lime green jean covered knee.

I threw a piece of pineapple at him and pulled a rather unattractive (even on me) face.

"No I did not stalk him. If I had, I wouldn't need you now would I? This is just all the information I gathered during our brief, but memorable, conversation. And when he left he pointed to his parking deck. I'm not _that _much of a creep; geez give me some credit!"

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but you're definitely _that_ much of a creep." Jace snickered as he came out of the spare room. He was in an old ratty pair of blue plaid pajama bottoms and a white tank top that also looked like it had seen better days. I thought about commenting on the dismal state of his wardrobe, but caught myself before I did. He'd probably just say they were tattered because some female had been attempting to rip the clothing off of him.

That was Jace, conceited to the core.

"I didn't realize the black sheep was visiting." I said to Will, deciding it was best to ignore Jace's comment altogether. This was my little nickname for Jace. It was fitting too. Cecily and Will looked almost identical with their black hair, dark blue eyes, full lips and high cheekbones, just like their mom. Jace resembled his father and uncle with golden blonde hair that was slightly curly, a narrow mouth, and almost golden eyes. He had the looks to be a heartbreaker and the attitude to go with it.

"Be nice you two, I'm gonna have enough of a headache from this glass of rum Magnus calls a piña colada; I don't need you two adding to it." Will mediated, before the name calling could really start.

"Oooohh can I have some?" Jace yelled, making a beeline for the kitchen.

"No!" Will and I shouted in unison just as we heard a glass being sat down on the countertop. I refused because I had spent good money on that alcohol and didn't want his greedy self to drink it all. Will refused because Jace was only eighteen and he was being hypocritical again.

Jace mumbled something indistinguishable, but we heard the faucet turn on and off and moments later he was in the den, flopping down in our oversized blue suede chair with a tall glass of water in his hands.

"So what has driven you two to this lonely night of liquor and junk food at only eight o'clock?"

I did not want to dish about my future boyfriend in front of Jace, but Will didn't hold the same animosity towards his baby brother that I did so he saw no reason _not _to clue him in on my love life.

"Magnus is smitten with this guy Alec he met tonight in his anthro class."

"How did he _just _meet him tonight? The semester is over a month through." Jace continued talking about me as if I wasn't in the room. It was a technique we both employed often and one that drove Will crazy.

He seemed to be under the (false) impression that ignoring someone's presence when they're sitting three feet away from you is childish.

"He was the TA filling in for his sick professor. I'm trying to figure out how I'm supposed to find his online profile or class schedule or some way for Magnus to casually bump into him again when all I have to go on is that he looks like me, _only with prettier eyes_, speaks French and makes bad choices when it comes to parking decks." Will looked at me for confirmation and I nodded. Yup, that was about it. "I guess you could find out when Stevens' other classes are out and just lurk around Lee St. around that time until you see him. That might be a little desperate though." He added with more sarcasm than I believe was called for.

"Oh wait, I just remembered he mentioned he's taking medical anthropology. I could look that up and see when they meet. Unless there's more than one class..." That seemed promising. I retrieved my laptop from the messenger bag I had dropped on the floor upon entering the apartment earlier and sat back down next to Will. I took a large bite of ice cream as I typed in the school's web address. The smile faded from my face when I clicked on the ANTH 391 link.

Two classes.

There were _two _class possibilities. Both of which were during blocks of time in which I was in class. No chance of casually running into him when his class let out if I was all the way across campus working on the art of storytelling or photography.

"Shit, no luck there. Back to square one." This called for more piña colada; the ice cream could melt for all I cared, I needed a buzz.

"You are seriously pathetic, you know that?" Jace looked mildly amused at my agony; watching us on the couch as if my plight was more entertaining than his favorite TV show.

I wanted to slap that smirk off his face.

I tried to ignore my violent urges though and focus at the task at hand. I had to think of any way I could narrow down the search. Will was on his phone searching through every 'Alec' that lived within ten miles and went to our school. Holding the phone so that I could see the profile pictures in case I recognized one.

"This would be a lot easier if you knew his last name." Will mumbled. He took a long sip from his melting colada. "Do you happen to know his age?"

"Um, he looked younger than me, but he said this was his was a third year anthro and French major, so..."

Will rolled his eyes at me. I'm positive that if I hadn't helped him find many a date this way in the past he would have thrown his phone down and called it quits. As it was, he owed me and he was going to sit here until I found my dark haired angel.

"Hey, this dude you're in love with," Jace cut in. I shot daggers at him with my gaze but he continued on, ignoring it, "was he kinda shy and slender, wearing all black with weird tribal-esque tattoos on his upper arms?"

I narrowed my charcoaled eyes at Jace. "Slender yes, though muscular. And as far as shy goes, he didn't seem that bad, though I could tell he was definitely nervous to be up in front of everyone talking, and he blushed a lot while it was just the two of us. I didn't notice any tattoos, but his sleeves came almost down to his elbows so I don't know what might have been under them."

He never had tattoos any of the times I'd pictured him without clothes throughout the evening, but I didn't think that counted so I kept it to myself.

"Yup that sounds like him and that tell-tale blush."

I waited open mouthed for him to continue, but he just stared at me, enjoying the power he held in his hands.

"_Him_ who?!" I almost screamed.

"You know, I'm getting pretty thirsty. A rum and coke would be delicious right about now."

I got up and stomped to the kitchen, quickly pouring Jace a rum and coke (more like a coke with a splash of rum) and marched it back to him.

"Ok now spill. How do you know my Alec?"

"_Your _Alec?" He raised a golden eyebrow and took a slow sip of his drink. "Went a little light on the rum there didn't ya?"

"Jace stop being a jerk; answer Magnus's question." Will intervened on my behalf. Though I pretty sure it may have been just as much on Jace's behalf, as I'm sure Will could tell that I was about to jump off that couch and strangle the little nuisance where he sat.

"Ok, ok. I'm almost positive he's Cecy's new boyfriend's cousin. I met him at the Fourth of July barbeque. He's really reserved, but much more interesting to hang out with than his cousins. His sister is pretty nice too, though she wouldn't stop talking for almost time entire party."

"Cecy has a boyfriend?!" Will questioned in surprise, almost choking on the last sip of his drink.

"This is great! He's practically related to you, do you have his number?" I asked eagerly, ignoring Will's cries of outrage that _he _was never told about a barbeque and why hadn't he met said boyfriend yet.

"Look, Cecy's gonna kill me when she finds out I told you. I'm pretty sure if it were up to her she'd tell you via wedding announcement." Jace laughed and all the color drained from Will's face.

"She's not that serious with him is she? She's only a baby! She can't go off getting married; she's not even out of college!" He was working himself up into hysterics, and almost made me spill rum on my designer t-shirt. I needed to get this under control.

"Whoa whoa calm down _dad_. I think you just answered your own question as to why she didn't tell you. And no, I don't think they're that serious yet. She is happy though, so stay out of it."

I looked back and forth between the two brothers.

How could they continue bickering about something so trivial at a time like this!

"Ok, everyone needs to calm down and focus here at the matter at hand. Will, Cecily is an adult and can make her own choices. Jace, DO YOU HAVE HIS PHONE NUMBER!?" My heart was racing and I felt flush. It could possibly have been because I'd brought the rum bottle back into the den with us when I'd made Jace's drink and had been taking large sips out of it to calm my nerves. I don't think it worked...

The Herondale's seemed quite taken aback by my outburst.

Who could blame them? This boy was getting me worked up like no other.

"Yes Magnus, I have his phone number. I'm not sure I should give it to you though, especially not while you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk; I just got a little carried away. And if you don't give me that number I am going to get on your brother's computer right now and upload all of your baby pictures to Facebook and tag every girl in your friends list."

Jace didn't look bothered. "So? I was an adorable baby."

"Yeah, except when you were five and Will gave you a perm. Yeah, I've seen those pictures. And I swear to God I will post them." It was Jace's turn to lose all coloring. Pure fear reflected in his face and he quickly got out his phone, mumbling "bastard" under his breath.

"Here." He handed over his phone and I stared at the contact screen. _Alexander Lightwood_. Alexander. That was such a beautiful name. It was the kind of name one wanted to shout to the rooftops. Or maybe that was the liquor talking. I couldn't really decide.

"Are you gonna copy his information or just stare at my phone all night?" Jace asked huffily.

I quickly got my phone out and copied the contact info, saving _blue eyes_ under the nickname tab instead of _Alec_ as it said in Jace's phone, then threw it back to him. "Thank you." I stared at the contact screen in front of me. _Should I call? Text? Will he think I'm some freak and not reply? Will he even remember me? Or want to talk to me? _ There were so many questions running through my mind.

"Hey, don't get your hopes up about Alec. Like I said, he's pretty shy and I'm not sure you're really his type. Actually, I'm not entirely sure any _guy _is his type. I mean, I know he's not seeing anyone, and I definitely can't remember him ever mentioning liking any girls, but he also hasn't mentioned any guys, so I don't know..." Jace shrugged. "Maybe he just doesn't have time to date anyone."

"How many times have you hung out with him?" I asked, slightly bummed at Jace's echoing of my thoughts.

"A lot actually. His sister is roommates with this really hot chick named Clary, so I go over and hang out or study as much as possible and he's usually there too, helping Izzy, his sister, make it through French 101."

I made a mental note to look carefully at the roster next time it was passed around in my French class, just in case the Gods had smiled upon me and by chance placed me in the same class as his sister. Could fate be so kind?

It's unlikely, but a man can dream.

"Hmm... I think I need to sleep on this and decide what to do in the morning. Thank you both for your help, good night." It was only half past nine but I was exhausted. Besides, I needed the extra time to sleep off the effects of the alcohol.

I could hear them starting to argue about Cecily again as I walked down the hall to my bedroom, but I didn't care. Nothing else mattered aside from the fact that I had _his _phone number. _Alexander's _phone number. Not that I was quite sure what I would do with it yet, but having it was a start. I threw off my clothes and fell upon my canary yellow bedspread, suddenly exhausted now that I was in the dark and horizontal. I closed my eyes and gave in to the darkness, falling asleep to thoughts of Alexander Lightwood and those piercing blue eyes.


	3. How to Create Opportunities

**Thank you guys so much for the encouraging comments! I have been writing non-stop this weekend and am very happy with what has come of it so far. There's no Alec in this chapter (I know, booooo :'( ), but we do get to spend some time with his sister :) and the plot thickens mwahahahaa. It feels like it's moving a little slow, but I promise it picks up, you just gotta trust me. This is going to be a fairly long story. (I think)**

**Next chapter will be in Alec's POV, so we'll get to see him more, and maybe a certain someone who has been in high demand with the reviewers *wink*. **

**I've posted this one for you guys a day and a half early (I was trying to wait three days), and I may post the next one early too if I get a bunch of reviews :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except the teachers, or Starbucks or any other copywrited thing I mention. **

* * *

**Chapter 3: How to Create Opportunities **

So that was how I met _him _yesterday and why I woke up today at the asscrack of dawn (or 6:15am as some people call it) with a smile, a slight headache, and a thorough sense of determination.

The sun was barely shining through my leopard print curtains, but that dismal fact didn't bother me as much as it usually does.

I was a man on a mission.

I had realized in those early moments of waking when your body tries so desperately to go back to sleep, but your brain is already awake, that I didn't need to wait for class to find out if, _what was her name? Izzy? Yes that was it_, if Izzy was in my French 101 or not. I could just go to our online class site and it would have a roster listed.

I slid on the pair of pink silk pajama pants I found lying next to my bed and headed out of my room to find the laptop I'd left in the den last night. I'd decided that I would check to see if she was in my class before getting ready because if she was, I needed to make myself as attractive as possible so as to make a good first impression. Though, if she was in my class, it was likely that she'd already seen me before.

Can't say I'm not noticeable.

Still, my plan involved actually speaking with her and if that was to happen I needed to dress for it.

I ran my fingers lightly across the keys of my keyboard as I waited for the computer to boot up. _Why was time moving so slow today? _Finally I was allowed to get online and search for the information I needed.

_Let's see: Jones, Joyce, Lamas, Lane, Lightwood. _

There it was. Isabelle Lightwood.

Could fate really be on my side?

I have never been a religious man, but I thanked every god I'd ever heard of, and the Buddha for good measure, that Isabelle Lightwood and I had been placed into the same class by this wild and mysterious universe. I literally had to stop myself from skipping into the bathroom I was so excited. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

For the first time this semester I made it to my journalism writing class with fifteen minutes to spare, even after standing in the mile long Starbucks line for my morning macchiato. As I walked into class I earned no small amount of stares from the people around me; not that I was surprised. I'd gone all out today, attempting (and I think succeeding) at looking sophisticated and chic, with just the slightest bit of exciting. I had chosen a pair of black skinny jeans coupled with black leather boots, a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled midway up my forearms and a black unbuttoned waistcoat and a pencil thin magenta silk tie for a splash of color. I added a studded leather belt for flare and a pocket watch with a silver chain to hang out of my waistcoat pocket. I'd spent a good thirty minutes painstakingly making the spikes in my hair stick up exactly how I wanted them to, adding a dash of glitter here and there for character. I'd chosen a smokey eye look, even though it was eight a.m. and that was really supposed to be a night time thing. Smokey eyes _always_ looked good on me. Add to that a thin line of magenta sparkly liner on my eyelids and I was done.

Perfection, thy name is Magnus.

I took my seat in the front row of Dr. Edgington's class and tried to clear my brain. There were exactly three hours and two classes standing in between me and the next phase of mission: Date Alexander Lightwood. I had to keep calm and focus on my studies. There was nothing else I could do until Mme. Marceau's class.

* * *

At long last 11 am rolled around. I felt myself getting giddy with anticipation. As I waited for the class before ours to let out so that we could go in and take our seats, a terrible realization occurred to me.

_I have absolutely no idea what Isabelle Lightwood looks like. _

I wanted to smack myself for not having asked Jace for more details before forming my grandmaster plan in my head. What was I supposed to do now, hope and pray and the teacher calls on her today so I can get a look? I got out my phone and hoped to the gods (I was doing a lot of that recently) that Jace was awake and paying little enough attention in class to notice his phone buzz.

**What does this Izzy girl look like? **

I texted furiously as people started to pile past me into the awaiting classroom.

_Hurryuphurryuphurryup!_

I looked down at my phone screen, 10:57 it told me. _That's ok. Three minutes is plenty of time. And I can always check it during class when Mme. Marceau isn't looking. _

I looked up and saw said teacher hurrying down the hall, briefcase and papers in hand.

"Ah Bonjour M. Bane" She flashed a friendly smile at me and I held the door open for her.

"Bonjour Mme. Marceau." I felt my phone vibrate in my hand and my heart skipped a beat.

"Merci." She stepped through the door and looked over at me, expecting that I follow her in since class was just about to begin. I had no choice. I smiled and walked over to my seat (again at the front of the class) and discretely clicked to screen button on my phone to see what Jace had replied.

**Her brother. But with darker eyes. And more boobs. **

What a delicate way he had with words, that Jace Herondale. I desperately wanted to look wildly around to see if I could spot any black haired dark eyed females, but I refrained. Instead I set my backpack down next to me, glancing to my right as far as I could without looking creepy. Nope, no female Alec's over there. Then I removed my notebook (decorated with a beautiful fleur de lis pattern) and ever so casually dropped my glittery yellow pencil on my left.

How clumsy of me.

As I slowly glanced around, taking my sweet time retrieving the stick of graphite, a flash of black caught my eye.

There she was! All the way in the back left corner, playing on her phone was the girl who absolutely had to be Isabelle Lightwood. She was slender, with ebony hair like her brother's, dark brown, almost black, eyes, full lips and a much bronzer complexion than Alec's ghost-like paleness. She was in a purple lacy top that clung to show off her ample bosom and tiny waistline, and a short black pleated skirt, with black leather high heeled boots going all the way up to her knees. I was a bit stunned at her beauty, surprised that Jace hadn't described her differently. But then again, that boy did have some pretty awful taste in women. Still, this Isabelle was a thing of beauty. Even _Jace _should have been able to appreciate that.

It was even worse trying to focus on the lesson in this class than it was in the previous two. I just had to make it through fifty minutes and then I would go talk to her and enact my brilliant plan.

Mme. Marceau called on her to conjugate our newly learned verb _faire _and I recognized her voice, though I never usually turned around in class when people behind me spoke, so it wasn't a surprise I hadn't recognized her featured. She _definitely _sounded better than Monday when she'd butchered the accent trying to say her birthday in French. Not that he had much room to judge on that front...

Now she spoke with confidence, sounding not unlike Alec had last night. "Je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faison, vous faitez, ils font."

"Bravo Mlle. Lightwood! I can tell you've been practicing. Remember however, that faire is irregular though and doesn't follow the rules for the _vous_ form; it should be _vous faites_." Isabelle's cheeks flushed a little at the teacher's corrections and it struck me just how much she and her brother looked alike. Aside from the great fashion sense and different eye color, she could've been his twin.

I was glad the teacher had called on her (another friendly handout from the universe), because it gave me the perfect opening to strike up our conversation. When the clock hit 11:50 everyone started packing up their books quickly, fleeing the classroom. I took my time, waiting to catch Isabelle as she left. She had her bright purple backpack slung over one shoulder and was sauntering over to the door, exuding coolness with every step.

_I want to be this girl._

"Hey, Isabelle, isn't it?" I asked, falling into step beside her as we walked out of the door and down the hall.

"That depends, who wants to know?" She looked me up and down and I suddenly felt more scrutinized than I ever had before. It was as if she was trying to learn my life story with that one glance. I was glad I'd put so much effort into my look today. Not that I don't always look fabulous.

"Magnus Bane," I held my hand out to her and she took it, awkwardly shaking hands as we walked down the cold gray stairwell. Her heels made loud _clicks_ as they struck each step.

I could see a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth when I said my name, but it was quickly schooled. _What was that about? _We'd finished descending the steps and walked out into the all too bright midday sun when she finally decided to answer.

"Well, you've got the right girl. What can I help you with?"

I was thrown at her strange behavior for a moment; until I remembered that I was on a mission and it needed my full attention.

"A little birdie told me that you have this really great French tutor, and obviously it's helping you a lot, you sounded great in class." Flattery will get you everywhere in life.

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and smiled; I took this as encouragement to continue.

"Anyway, I'm having a hard time making sense of that lovely language and I was wondering if you thought your tutor could help me out as well."

I'd decided when I woke up this morning that it would be too weird to just text Alexander out of the blue. If he really was as shy as Jace had said, I didn't want to scare him off by being to forward. I needed a better, more concrete, way of getting to see him again.

Employing him as a tutor seemed like the perfect plan.

Plus, seeing him up in front of our class last night had awakened some dormant teacher/student fetish of mine that I hadn't known existed.

"Hmm..." She pursed her lips in thought. "Perhaps. Buy me a cappuccino and I'll see what I can do." She swiftly changed directions towards the library (where the Starbucks was located), expecting me to follow, even though I hadn't answered.

I was starting to like this girl more and more every minute. She reminded me of myself.

I grinned to myself and followed her to the large automatic doors of the library. We took our place in line behind a short brunette girl who was talking shyly with a tall blonde boy who I could only assume was her boyfriend, or wanted desperately to be, based on the lovesick way he hung on her every word.

Isabelle took out her phone and texted someone, tilting the screen away from me so I couldn't see the name. Not that I would have looked. I'm nosey, but not rude. She clicked the screen off and slid it back into a little pocket on the front of her skirt.

We made small talk while we waited to place our orders and receive our drinks. Isabelle carried her cappuccino over to one of the small round tables by the large picture window looking out onto campus and I followed with my chai tea latte.

There was a melodic ring and Isabelle checked her phone, laughing and rolling her eyes at whatever was on the screen before returning her attention to me.

"Here's the thing," she said, abruptly starting a conversation. "My tutor is _really _busy and barely has enough time to help me out, _but_," she said with a glint in her eye, "I am willing to let you sit in on our sessions, kind of like a little study group. Only without any lame asses who don't actually do any work." She took a sip of her beverage and continued. "Speaking of which, you'd better not waste our time. I need to pass this class and Alec is the only way that's going to happen so if you're not going to be dedicated and are just planning on fooling around then you can forget about it mister!"

I was floored at her aggressive tone. _Are we still talking about tutoring, or had she somehow read my mind and was now launching into little sister defensive mode? _

I cleared my throat, _buck up Magnus, you've got this. _

"I assure you my dear Isabelle, my intentions are the complete opposite. I will put every amount of dedication I have into this endeavor if you give me the chance." That was entirely true. "I really need to pass this class as well." I added; making sure we were, in fact, still talking about French.

She gave me a look that made me feel like a prisoner being interrogated, then, like a storm clod being blown away in the wind, it was gone. Back to all smiles.

Her phone could be heard buzzing again, but she ignored it this time.

"Great! We're going to have a blast. Call me Izzy by the way. Oh and you should know that Alec has very high expectations for people, he's not one of those types who yells at you a bunch if you screw up. He generally doesn't say anything, but you can tell he's disappointed in you. I think that's worse. I'd rather just be yelled at. It's a really good motivation for me to study." She was talking fast, possibly because her caffeine had kicked in, or possibly because now that she'd appraised me and found me worthy, she was being more herself. Either way, it was a little terrifying.

"Of course, that might just be because he's my big brother." She added casually. I feigned surprised, seeing as how I wasn't supposed to know this little tidbit of information.

"Really? Yeah, I guess that would put the pressure on. You're sure he doesn't mind taking on another pupil?"

"Oh no, not at all, he's a good sport. And I'm sure you two will get along great. When are you free to start? I don't have any night classes, but I'd really prefer _not _sitting around making flash cards with my brother on a Friday night, so, do you have time Sunday?"

"Sunday sounds marvelous." I replied, happy that we both agreed that there were better things to do on Friday and Saturday nights than study, though I couldn't think of any better way to spend any night of the week than being with Alexander.

"Well now that business is out of the way," she said, flipping her black curtain of hair over her shoulder, "you HAVE to tell me how you apply your make-up like that. Those smoky eyes are _flawless!_"

And that was that. Izzy and I spent the next hour and a half talking about make-up and clothes, exchanging phone numbers when it was finally time to head off to our next classes.

I was walking on clouds when I left the library. _Three days. _I only had to wait three days and then I would see him again. And not just _see_ him, I would be talking with him, working with him, hopefully sitting close to him and flirting skillfully when his sister wasn't paying attention. I needed to go home and decide what to wear!

Scratch that, I needed to go shopping!


	4. How to be Inappropriate and Run Away

**Finally the chapter you've all been waiting for: the one with Jem in it! Just a little introduction, but I promise there will be more of him as the story progresses. This one is from Alec's POV so please don't get confused. We go back to the beginning essentially. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations. The chapter after this is also Alec's POV, then it goes back to Magnus. I'll try not to switch too often, but it helps to add dimension.**

**Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews. I REALLY REALLY appreciate them! Let me know what you think about this chapter, switching POV's, if you ever want it to be anyone else's aside from Magnus and Alec's, etc. **

**I'm sorry if there are parts that seem to be a bit off topic or not include enough Malec, but I'm trying to incorporate everything and everybody and maybe some little things that you don't think are important to the main plot are very important to the side plot *wink wink* *nudge nudge* **

**So stay tuned! **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Alec's POV. How to be Inappropriate and Run Away **

"No problem sir, room 231 you said?" I wrote down the room number on the yellow legal pad in front of me and returned to my phone conversation. "Extra credit movie day. Why not just cancel?"

"_I thought you might *cough* want to chance to try out your teaching skills without me looking over your shoulder *cough*_" I heard him blow his nose through the phone.

Gross.

"Thank you Dr. Stevens. I'll start preparing. It starts at four right?" I pulled out my laptop and went to my documents to pull up the class syllabus for Dr. Stevens' 4-650 Wednesday night class. All of his 101's should be in about the same place, but sometimes the night classes get thrown off because of the weird timing. And they would definitely be behind now since the doc was sick with the flu.

We hung up after I'd confirmed the class time and I started making an outline for our extra credit class tonight. My first solo run at teaching. Sure I was just going to be showing some films, but there would be _some _teaching involved as well.

My heart started to race and I wiped my palms on the knees of my faded jeans. If only I could get over my debilitating shyness I would make a great teacher someday. Or so my advisors and professors kept telling me. I took a deep breath and threw myself into work; the only thing that helps me relax sometimes. I just have to not think about being up in front of a class full of people. It's just like telling Izzy about what I learned in class; a conversation about something I love.

I could do that.

Couldn't I?

Maybe I should take one of those anxiety pills Jem was always suggesting. He had plenty of extras. I don't know why the doctors even bothered prescribing it to him; Jem is the least anxious person I know, even with balancing the illness and a full time course load.

I got up from the tiny wooden desk I was sitting at and exited my room, making a beeline for the medicine cabinet in the bathroom Jem and I shared. It was pretty tiny, just big enough to contain a bathtub/shower, toilet, and sink. There were shelves above the toilet for our clean towels and toiletries and things, and a shiny metal cabinet with a mirrored door hung above the sink. We'd installed a towel rack to the back of the door after moving in, but aside from that we'd left it pretty much how it was. Neither Jem nor I were the decorating type. The only reason we had matching towels is because Izzy insisted on going shopping with me when I'd bought them. Really, what does it matter if one towel is green and the other is black, as long as they dry you?

Needless to say that was not a valid argument in Izzy's eyes. Hence the stack of dark green towels that supposedly matched the pale green walls of the bathroom.

I opened the cabinet and pulled out the bottle marked _Xanax_, then one marked _P__rosaic. _

_Which one? _

"Jem!" I yelled, walking into the den with both bottles in my hands. He was sitting on the couch with books and papers spread everywhere around him, his cat, Church, curled up next to him. Multicolored index cards could be seen from underneath the cat's body. Jem was likely headed for another all-nighter to prepare for his first anatomy test of the semester. Despite his doctor's grim prognosis that the illness would take him before his thirtieth birthday, Jem was determined not to let that stop him and he put every ounce of energy he had into completing his pre-med work in an effort to do as much good with his life before it was over.

I hated thinking about Jem's future, but at least he made it easy to ignore. Being around him you would hardly be able to tell he was so sick, except for when he needed to use that walking stick to lean on.

"What is it Alec?" He asked, looking at the translucent orange bottles in my hand with those silvery eyes.

"I'm teaching a class for Dr. Stevens tonight; he's got the flu. Which of these should I take?" I held the bottles out to him and he laughed loudly, making me blush. Jem was well aware of my anxiety issues having been my friend and roommate since I was sixteen. We met after I'd gotten kicked out of my parents' house for being caught kissing a boy (my first crush and neighbor) in our backyard and I answered his ad for a roommate. He was nineteen and tired of people treating him like a china doll at home. We got along great and, though it was a bit of a struggle at first, working and finishing high school, Jem helped me out a lot and I managed to graduate a year early with some college credit from advanced classes. I started at the university as soon as I was done with high school and the last two years of our lives are, as they say, history.

"Hmm..." Jem pondered, "probably the Xanax, though it sometimes it backfires for me and just makes me cry. A lot. I feel much better afterwards though. You could always just take a shot of that vodka in the fridge." He chuckled, handing the Xanax bottle back to me and setting the other one on the table amongst the books.

"Great. That's the LAST thing I want tonight, to start freaking out in front of a class full of my peers."

"How about we go do some yoga before your class starts? My physical therapist suggested I take it up to help with the muscle strengthening, as long as I'm careful. It's also supposed to help with stress and anxiety."

I thought about this for a little while before finally, and grudgingly, agreeing. Working out did always put me in a better mood and I really didn't want to risk the drugs backfiring on me.

* * *

Jem was a genius. I felt incredible after an hour of relaxing music, concentration, and stretching. We walked back to the apartment together and I took a lightning fast shower before throwing on my nice dark jeans (aka, the ones that weren't completely gray and washed out), a new-ish black t-shirt with sleeves long enough to cover my tattoos (have to look slightly professional in case a faculty member walked in) and my combat boots. I had forty minutes to finish up my lesson plan before class started and I didn't want to get there late.

I was calm. Heart beating at a normal pace, temperature even, no sign of a blush or sweaty palms at all. I talked to the class without stuttering or getting tongue tied, I'd even managed to not let the fact that half the class left phase me one bit.

And then I told everyone to move up so I wouldn't have to yell and I turned around to see _him _sitting there.

Right in front.

Staring at me with those golden-green eyes that felt like they could see through to my soul.

_Ok Alec, be cool, don't say something stupid. _

I handed him the role and managed to get out: "since you're so brave you can start this off." Ok, so not exactly the most sexy thing in the world to say, but at least I got it out without blushing. Maybe I should take up yoga on a daily basis.

Well, I _hadn't _blushed, not until our hands touched that is. _Dammit_.

I worked up the courage to sit next to him when it came time to watch the movies, mentally congratulating myself for staying so well put together tonight. Well for me at least.

So far.

_God he smells good._

He smelled like autumn. I know that sounds dumb, but he did. It was like walking through an apple orchard. I detected a hint of cinnamon and crisp apples, and something woodsy. What was that? Cloves? Sandalwood? I tried to remember what either of those smelled like, recalling that sandalwood had been the scent in that pack of incenses Izzy had given me for my birthday last year, and Jem sometimes put cloves in oranges around Christmas time to make the apartment smell good. I think it was more like the incenses than the oranges, but I couldn't be sure. All I know is that, on him, it smelled _delicious._

As the movie played on I felt myself getting more comfortable, my brain slipping into learning mode, making me forget about my shyness. I stood up in front of everyone and managed to talk with ease. It felt great. There was a long road ahead of me, but I could definitely see myself doing this in the future.

Of course, I'd have to develop a thicker skin with regards to stupid answers though. I swear, I don't know how some of these people passed the entrance exams to get into college.

But him (_Magnus_ the role said), I could listen to him speak all day. Good looking AND he knows what the hell he's talking about? I had to be dreaming.

I must admit having authority was great when I got to use it to hear him talk more. I called on him as much as possible; not caring that I'm sure he (and everyone else) noticed how unfair I was being. Not that he seemed to mind. He gave elaborate answers every time and smiled when he talked. It was like we were the only two people in the room when we talked about the role of an ethnographer and what lines were crossed in _Avatar_.

I didn't want the class to end, but this was just supposed to be for extra credit, and fun, so I let them out a little early. I wanted to talk to him more, but I had to get everything put back properly before the next class came in, so I tore my gaze away from those green eyes and started packing up. I was so lost in my thoughts (congratulating myself on _not_ having a panic attack) that I nearly jumped out of my skin upon hearing him say my name.

"Magnus, what can I help you with?" I was trying to sound professional, but my mind immediately went to the gutter with the possible answers for that. I should probably work on kicking this new habit of fantasizing about my students.

Or _student_ to be more precise.

"I was wondering if you were free to hang out sometime outside of class." He moved closer and I had the sudden urge to put my hands on that caramel skin and pull him even closer so that our bodies were touching.

_Alexander Lightwood what the hell are you thinking! You're supposed to be an academic authority figure, he's probably just asking for help starting a study group or something. Get your hormones under control. _I chastised myself. I needed to get back into teacher mode and out of horny teenager mode.

Easier said than done.

I thought I'd succeeded. We were talking and joking casually and I was managing to not undress him with my mind. We were talking about our majors…

"Oh, parlez-vous le français?"

_Fuck_ he sounded sexy; even if the accent was pretty bad and he pronounced the consonants at the ends.

Too bad he doesn't actually speak French. Or maybe that was a good thing. I'm not sure I would have been able to stop myself from doing something stupid if he'd have been able to keep going. I had already subconsciously moved closer to him and was looking up into those gorgeous gold-flecked eyes. They reminded me of a cats eyes; so mysterious and wise. His lips looked so soft and were slightly parted in a half smile. All he had to do was lean down...

Back to the real world.

We were interrupted by the start of the next class and when I made a joke about staying he GRABBED MY HAND and pulled me into the hallway.

I thought my heart would never start beating again, but he let it go once we were away from the door and it restarted. My hand felt suddenly cold where it was no longer connected with his warmth and I desperately wanted to grab hold of it again.

_Alec get ahold of yourself! _

I really needed to get out of there before I did something stupid, so I made a lame excuse (that wasn't really an excuse, I did have a lot to do) about needing to get home and practically ran off in the direction of my parking deck. It was just getting too difficult to keep my body from acting of its own accord. My arms ached to wrap around him, my lips were dying to be pressed against his, to taste that delicious looking caramel skinned, green-eyed God standing before me.

I'd had to get away.

My heart was racing by the time I got to my car and I had to wipe my palms off on my jeans twice before they were dry enough to work my seatbelt. I sat in the cool leather seat with my eyes closed, taking deep breaths to try to slow my pulse. Once I felt calm enough to speak I took out my phone and hit my #1 speed dial.

"Alec, what's up?" The female voice on the other end answered after one ring.

"I need to tell you about my night before I have a heart attack. Can I come over?" I knew I would probably be setting myself up for non-stop teasing, but I didn't care. I needed to tell someone and Jem needed to study, not waste his evening hearing about my helpless crush. Izzy on the other hand, this sort of thing is what she lives for.

"Alec, does this involve a boy?" Her voice started stern then turned into an excited squeal.

"Yes." Was my only response. I held the receiver away from my ear as she let out a noise a dolphin would be proud of.

"Hurry up and get your ass over here! Oh, and bring chocolate!"


	5. How to Cure Regret with Chocolate

***Squeeee* There were so many reviews for last chapter :) I feel so love *hugs to all*! (I also love all of you who read and don't leave comments, so don't feel left out of the hugfest). I really want to thank those of you who have read and reviewed every chapter and given me the motivation and kind words I need to keep this going :) You're wonderful. **

**This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others and still in Alec's point of view. Next chapter will be Magnus POV and they may in fact be in the same place at the same time again (I know, it's been a while since that happened) so stay tuned. I hope you enjoy this little chapter and I promise the next one will be up in about 1-2 days. **

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**Chapter 5: How to Cure Regret with Chocolate Ice Cream and Caramel Syrup**

"So what's his name?" Izzy asked in way of greeting, meeting me at the door before I'd even had time to put my hand down after knocking. She grabbed said hand and dragged me into her apartment, pulling me down onto the fluffy pink couch. I dropped my backpack onto the floor and set the grocery bag I was carrying down on her coffee table. Her eyes lit up when she saw the carton of chocolate almond ice cream and bottle of caramel syrup. I usually don't put anything on my ice cream but it was staring at me from the display shelf next to the freezer section and caramel suddenly looked delicious to me.

I blushed at my thoughts, but Izzy thankfully didn't see. She was dashing to the kitchenette to grab two spoons, a can of reddi-wip and two bottles of water.

It's times like these that I miss living with my sister; though I'm almost certain that we would both weight twice as much as we do after about a month. We'd found out by ages 17 and 15 that we were much better at being junk food buddies than workout buddies.

"So?" Her dark eyes stared at me quizzically while I looked blankly back at her.

"So what?" She punched my arm.

"What. Is. His. Name?" She spoke slowly like she was talking to a child.

"Oh. Magnus. His name is Magnus Bane." I smiled as the name left my mouth. It was so unique. So beautiful. Not like boring old Alec. Actually, that applied to the man as well, not just the name.

"Ooo, what does he look like?" She'd taken out her phone, typing with one hand while shaking the whipped cream can with the other.

I took the top off the ice cream carton and set to work opening the caramel. "In one word? Gorgeous. He has the most amazing green-gold eyes, caramel colored skin, short black hair, tall. Mmm so tall-"

"Alec! You're drowning the ice cream!" Izzy ripped the syrup bottle out of my hand and set it down on the table. I'd been pouring it while I was talking about Magnus and had completely lost track of what I was doing.

"Whoops." I said sheepishly, turning crimson.

"Smitten much?" Izzy teased, matching the two inch thick layer of syrup with a four inch tall tower of whipped cream.

I was going to need to spend a few extra hours at the gym to pay for this, but it SO looked worth it.

We pulled our legs up to sit Indian style on the couch and scooted the glass coffee table closer now that we didn't need the leg room.

"Go on," Izzy encouraged, digging into our cold, sweet creation. "What was he wearing? How did you meet? When are you seeing him again?" My stomach did a little flip with the asking of that last question. When _was_ I seeing him again? Ever?

"Um, he was wearing green. It really brought out his eyes. And he's one of Stevens' students. I was filling in for Stevens tonight because he's sick and he wanted to give me a chance to get more teaching experience."

"So you used that opportunity to hit on boys. Excellent use of authority Alec; you've made me proud." Izzy beamed at me and I glared.

"I didn't, I mean, I sort of did, but not _boys_. Just Magnus. And I didn't really hit on him, we just talked."

"Well, was _he_ flirting with _you_?"

"I don't know. It felt like he was, but I may have just been seeing what I wanted to see. Maybe he's just a really friendly person. Although," I paused to lick my spoon clean and take a sip of water. I was in for a sugar coma later. "He did ask if I could hang out sometime. Outside of class."

Izzy squealed again like she had on the phone. Sometimes I really wish she had a mute button. Or at least a warning so I could put some ear plugs in.

"What did you say? Are you going to hang out with him?" I squirmed under her interrogating stare.

"Uh, well, we kinda got off topic and I never got a chance to answer..."

I thought Izz was going to hit me.

"ALEXANDER LIGHTWOOD! You were asked out by a super cute sounding guy who you obviously like and you GOT OFF TOPIC?" I recoiled into the pink cushions, wishing they would swallow me whole so I didn't have to face this situation. I felt like enough of an idiot without Izzy's help.

"I know, I know. I'm beating myself up enough as it is, you could at least be a little supportive _sis_."

She took a minute to cool down before responding. "Hmph. Fine. Do you at least have intentions of remedying your atrocious mistake the next time you see him?"

"I probably won't see him again. Not unless Stevens needs me to help out with that class next week too. And I don't really have a chance of _ever_ having a class with him because he's not an anthro major and he's four semesters behind me in French." Izzy grabbed my hand when I finished talking.

"He's taking intro French?" She asked as if it was vital information that I should have led with.

"Yeeeaaahhh... Why does that matter?"

"Was his hair up in spikes with lots of glitter and stuff?" She was getting very worked up.

"Yeah. How did you-"

"Ohmygod Alec, he's in my 101 class! You said Bane right? That's definitely him; it has to be." She was bouncing up and down on the couch now, still holding my hand. Her giddiness was making me a little uneasy; as was the fact that she shared a class with Magnus. That could be an amazing opportunity or an incredibly horrific disaster. Likely the latter.

"This is great; I can talk to him for you, make sure he's not a total douche or anything, and give him your number. If he was really interested in asking you out, he'll call." She was amazingly fast at concocting schemes.

"Really Izz, it's fine. You don't need to get involved. I'm too busy to go out with anyone right now anyway." Suddenly now that it seemed likely that I would get to see him again I wasn't sure I really wanted to. I didn't have time to have a boyfriend; and was that even what I wanted? Magnus was so... sparkly. So much more beautiful and out-there than me. I really didn't see any realistic scenario in which we worked well together as a couple.

"Don't be stupid Alec, this is what college is for," she put a manicured hand over my mouth before I could protest that no, college was not for dating, it was for learning. "You need to get laid whether you have time for dating or not. He is gorgeous and definitely bats for your team so I'm setting this up whether you like it or not." She lowered her hand once her speech was through.

"Izzy I don't want to just go out and get laid, you know I don't enjoy that kind of thing. I'd rather just be single."

"Well _I'd _rather you just get a boyfriend so I'm still going to make you try. It doesn't hurt to at least _try_ does it?"

There really was no winning once Izzy had put her mind to something. There was nothing I could do but agree and hope to god this guy turned out to be a douche or taken or something else that would make my sister give up her campaign to find me a boyfriend. I had too many things going on in my life to put time and effort into a relationship. Usually that was just a fact of life that I was perfectly willing to accept, but for some reason tonight it made my stomach knot up.

Would it really be _that_ bad if Izzy did get me a date with Magnus?

* * *

I left Izzy's around eleven after listening to her talk about her newest crush (some older guy with a name that started with an M; really I couldn't be expected to remember it until over a month had passed; there was no point), the girl she hated at work, and the new pair of shoes she was _dying_ to buy. I listened diligently, nodding in all the right places.

For every minute of Isabelle's undivided attention I got, I had to give ten to her.

Her roommate Clary got back around ten thirty, thus providing me with an escape. Someone new to chat about shoes with for Izz. So I gathered up my things and left as soon as I could.

Jem was asleep on the couch when I walked in, anatomy textbook open and lying on his chest, Church asleep at his head, empty tea cups and banana peels strewn across the coffee table. Jem preferred natural pick-me-ups as opposed to sugary energy drinks.

I cleaned up the mess as quietly as I could, removed the textbook from Jem's torso, and draped the blanket over him that we kept hanging on the back of the sofa. Jem got cold easily.

Once in my room I had a tough decision to make: Stay up all night and finish my work, hopefully in time to grab a short nap before class, or go to sleep and wake up early to finish it. I only had two classes tomorrow, evolution of the human language at 1 and medical anthropology at 4, so I could sleep in pretty late if I needed to.

It was settled; stay up until the work gets done. I made a list prioritizing my tasks and set about to finish them. I finished my paper by 1 a.m.; I'd really only needed to add the conclusion, rewrite the thesis, and proofread so that wasn't too bad. It would likely be an A, but I generally freak out about my grades until I get them back, no matter how good I'm doing in the class. I moved on to imputing the extra credit for Stevens' class next since it would take me no time at all, trying desperately not to get distracted thinking about Magnus again. I then hunkered down in bed with a stack of papers that needed grading for Stevens' archaeological theory class.

* * *

I don't know when I passed out, (somewhere near the end of the stack of papers and the beginning of sunrise) but there was a large red ink stain on my hand from where I'd lay it on my pen at some point and my phone was buzzing. The screen read 12:02 p.m. and the buzzing was because of a text from Izzy.

**Alec! You'll never believe who came up to me after class to ask for my French tutor's help! **

My heart pounded in my chest. No, she couldn't mean Magnus could she? Was this a crazy coincidental gift from the universe, or had he sought me out on purpose. If so, how in the world did he know that I was Izzy's tutor? It wasn't exactly a fact she bragged about so I'm pretty sure only her, Clary, and Gabriel's girlfriend's hot brother actually know.

**Isabelle you know I don't have time to tutor anyone else, and I'm only helping you so you can keep you scholarship. Stop playing matchmaker. He's probably just looking for an ACTUAL tutor anyway. His French is pretty bad. **

I waited for a response. Five minutes passed.

**Izzy?! So help me god if you setting something up I am going to kill you! Stop interfering!**

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. What was she doing? Was she talking to him? What was she telling him about me?

I looked at my phone again; still no reply. My eyes lingered on the screen for a moment before it actually registered that I had less than forty five minutes to get to print out my paper, shower, and get to class. I hopped out of bed and headed for the bathroom, all thoughts of Isabelle and Magnus chased away.

_For the moment._


	6. How to Kill Time

**This chapter got really long. I thought about making it into two, but there didn't seem to be a good midway point to split it. I probably could've cut out a little extra character fluff, but I also didn't want to do that either, so you get a REALLY long chapter from Magnus's point of view. Enjoy. Chapter's 7 and 8 are both Alec POV because he has taken over my brain and I couldn't stop writing it from his perspective just so you guys know. And I also promise that within those chapters my story will finally earn its T rating *wink wink*. **

**Also this story has taken over my life, so I really appreciate all the nice things you guys have to say. It's very encouraging and makes me so happy :) I love me some instant gratification lol. Two more reviews and it will be my highest reviewed piece on here so that's super exciting and awesome that you guys are so nice! **

**Anyway, last thing, very important for _way_ future chapters: Does anyone know if Alec's actual birth date is mentioned anywhere in the books. I can't remember and I don't want to go back and read every page he's mentioned like some kind of obsessed freak. ...I mean, who would do that_?_ *cough*...**

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**Chapter 6: How to Kill Time**

The rest of my Thursday went by agonizingly slow. I finished up with my classes around five thirty, then threw myself into my schoolwork until it was time to go to sleep so that I would have all day Friday after my two morning classes to focus on shopping and finding the perfect thing to wear to a tutoring session. It would help if I knew what Alec liked in a man, but oh well. I would just have to be my charming self and see where that got me.

Usually, it'd get me at least as far as third base.

I was surprised to receive a text from Isabelle Lightwood early on Saturday asking if I wanted to go to some party in the evening. I really didn't. I'd heard about the party already from various sources and it sounded like it would just be a bunch of bad music and underage drinking.

I have standards when it comes to partying.

But seeing as what I had planned to do with my Saturday _evening_ was the same thing I was doing with my Saturday _morning_ (lying on my bed looking at every piece of clothing I had, which were strewn all over the room, occasionally trying on a new combination to show to Will for approval or rejection) I said sure. Plus it seemed like a perfect opportunity to earn bonus points with my beloved's sister, Maybe I'd even be able to casually find out Alec's favorite color so I could narrow wardrobe choices down even further.

The house the party was being held at was only a few blocks away from my apartment, so after cleaning-ish my room up and two hours of getting myself ready I made my way to meet up with Izzy.

I had chosen red to be my color of the evening. Bright scarlet leather pants hugged my lower body, matched with a pair of red and black designer boots. My top was black, sheer, and sleeveless, clinging to my upper body in a way that showed off every muscle. The ensemble was accented by metal and leather bracelets and necklaces, and small silver hoops in the four piercings in each ear. Heavy eyeliner, red glittered lids, spiked hair with red tips, all topped with shimmer spray completed the look.

I had even painted my nails red with black French tips.

I like to match.

I found Izzy standing outside the house, surrounded by a group of drooling boys hanging on her every word. She squealed when she saw me, running over and wrapping her arms around my neck like we were long lost lovers.

I went with it, sliding my arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. I was no stranger to the old 'oh look, my boyfriend just showed up, gotta go!' routine. Will and I had had to employ it so many times over the years it was almost second nature to just pretend we were together until one of us saw someone worth hitting on. Otherwise you have to spend your evening sending back drinks and dodging lame pickup lines.

The group of boys wandered off, disappointed and grumbling. Izzy let out a sigh of relief and let go of me.

"Thank you so much. I could get them to leave me alone."

"Not a problem. Though, if you wanted less male attention maybe you should've worn a longer skirt." I tsked, looking her up and down.

The skirt she was wearing tonight was even shorter than the one I'd seen her in at school and was blue and ruffly.

"Hey, my legs are covered!" She retorted.

"A technicality my darling. Though I must say you _do_ look fabulous."

Smiling at my compliment, she gave a little twirl so I could get the whole effect. She had on neon blue fishnets and more knee high leather boots, sporting heels that made her eye level with most of the men here, though not me. Her top was a navy and black corset with a little lacy black cover up donning her shoulders. Her hair was curly and she had attempted, and succeeded, applying the smokey eye techniques I'd given her over coffee Thursday.

"Come on let's go inside, my friends are waiting."

I followed Izzy through the crowded doorway, passed the table full of solo cups and bottles of booze, to the couch on the back wall where three figures were sitting.

_Shit._

"Magnus! What are _you_ doing here?" Jace yelled wide-eyed as we approached. He was sitting on the right of a tiny redhead, who I could only assume was Isabelle's roommate Clary. There was another boy sitting on Clary's left, wearing glasses and some band tee looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

"Selling bibles. What are _you _doing at a place with music, college students and drinks on a Saturday night, golden boy?" I replied sarcastically. Really, I can't stand it when people ask stupid questions. It's especially worse coming from Jace because those seem to be the only type he knows how to ask.

He made a rather rude hand gesture at me, but refrained from saying anything else. Perhaps it was because of the look Clary gave him.

"I didn't know you two knew each other." Izzy said as she sat herself on the arm of the couch, next to Glasses Guy. She crossed her long legs (the only way to sit in that outfit without showing off more than she'd intended) and looked at me. I sat in an empty chair next to Jace's side of the couch and answered her.

"He's my roommate's kid brother." I wanted to make some embarrassing comments about Jace's fear of ducks or propensity for singing girly pop music in the shower, but he had dirt on me too. I didn't want to provoke him into mentioning anything I'd said the other night about Alec and making Izzy cancel our tutoring session, or worse, stop speaking to me because I'm a giant creep who had spent the last three days obsessing over her brother.

Jace and I looked at each other after I spoke. I could tell he was waiting for me to make the first move.

"Great, so you can tell us all of his embarrassing little secrets," Glasses Guy said, perking up. Fear flashed in Jace's eyes and he jumped up from the couch.

"Magnus and I are going to go grab some drinks. What do you guys want?" Clary and Glasses both asked for a coke and Isabelle ordered something "a bit stronger and fruity." Jace grabbed my arm before I had a chance to protest and dragged me over to the drinks table.

"Easy there sweetpea, your smudging my glitter." I broke free of his grasp and went about looking through coolers for the cokes and Isabelle's fruity-something.

"I'm no expert on picking up guys, but I'm pretty sure it's a universal rule that if you wanna get with someone, you don't date their sister first." Jace poured himself a rum and coke and smirked at me. Apparently feeling braver now that we were out of earshot of the others.

"I'm not dating his sister you idiot. We're friends, and so help me god if you repeat _anything_ I said about her brother I will make your life a living hell, do you understand me?" I'd straightened up to my full height, glaring down at him in the most intimidating way I could muster. I really wasn't that great at seeming physically intimidating. That'd always been Will's area, but I did know how to make a threat. And keep it.

Jace knew that.

"Look, you go over there and sing my praises to Clary and I'll do the same thing for you with Isabelle. This is the first girl I've really liked in a long time and she's apparently majoring in playing hard to get. So let's just play nice for one night and nobody's life has to be hell. Deal?" He held out his hand and I shook it.

I could play nice for one night.

We grabbed the drinks and headed back to our seats. I started Izzy off with a black cherry Mike's Hard Lemonade, not knowing what her alcohol tolerance was and not wanting her to get completely drunk while under my care.

This is why I don't like going to parties with people younger than me. I always feel like I have to play the grown up. It's also why I try never to drive to a party as well. I will spend all night hailing people taxis if I need to, but after you've cleaned vomit out of your glove box and off your windows for hours on end, you learn why no one ever wants to be the DD. Drunk people suck.

I took my seat and Isabelle introduced everyone. Glasses Guy was apparently named Simon; how boring. We spent a little while talking and getting to know each other while more people started to show up and it eventually got too loud to carry on any sort of semblance of a conversation. Izzy went off to chat up some football players and Jace and Clary got up to dance. Siegfried, or whatever his name was, stared after them like a dog whose bone was just stolen, but stayed on the couch.

He was too depressing to look at, so I got up and wandered around. I'd promised myself I'd stay out until at least midnight, even though I really had no desire to be out at all.

_What the hell is wrong with you? What has happened to Magnus Bane: life of the party? This is getting pathetic._

It really was.

I hadn't even _looked _at another guy since Wednesday night. This was not like me. I'm outgoing and flirtations, even in relationships. Not that I'm unfaithful, I just don't think there's any harm in returning a smile or a giggle every once in a while.

Maybe it was just because I hadn't had a chance to see him again yet. The more time went by, the more opportunity I had to build him up into this amazing fantasy guy that was probably way off from who he actually was. I just needed to make it through until tomorrow and then I could get on with my life one way or another.

I don't know how long I wandered around, lost in my thoughts, but at some point I had found a corner to stand and sulk in and that is where Izzy finally found me.

She stumbled over (obviously she'd been imbibing something a bit stronger than the drink I'd given her) and put a hand on her hip, cocking her head to one side.

"Why are you over here hiding in a corner? No one cute's caught your eye?" She said in a teasing manner.

I shrugged. "No one here." I replied honestly.

There was a spark in Izzy's eyes.

"So there is _someone_." She purred suggestively. She was standing close to me so I could hear her over the music and I could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Possibly." I shrugged again. Why was she so interested? I'd thought I'd made it pretty obvious that I was, currently, only into men, but maybe the booze was clouding her judgment. That _is_ what it's made for right? "He's not here tonight though." I added, just to be safe.

"Probably at home studying or grading anthropology papers." She said casually, and before I could stop myself I replied "yeah, probably."

Her face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "I knew it! You're talking about Alec aren't you? Don't lie to me." She looked me in the eyes and I sighed.

The charade was up.

"I hope Jace is having fun wherever he is right now, because I am going to kill him in the morning." I grumbled through clenched teeth. I'd been looking forward to seeing Alec so much and now his sister was about to call the whole thing off and probably tell him how much of a creep I am and that he should never speak to me again.

"What does Jace have to do with anything? We're talking about you and Alec." Izzy looked confused. And a little unsteady in those heels.

"If you didn't hear it from Jace, how did you find out? Am I really that obvious?" I asked, taking her hand and leading her to the door. She looked like she could use some fresh air, and as much as I wanted to continue this conversation, I _really _didn't want projectile vomit on my dry clean only clothes.

"I wouldn't use the word 'obvious', but yeah. I might not have put two and two together if Alec hadn't talked to me about you before you approached me." I put my arm around her waist, helping her down to the second to last step and sitting us down as I let her words sink in.

Alec had talked to her about me. I'd obviously made _some_ sort of impression. My heart fluttered thinking about him thinking about me.

"Are you going to tell him how much of a sketchy stalker I am?"

I said it in a joking tone, hoping she didn't think my behavior was _that _strange. If I was lucky she wouldn't even remember this conversation at all in the morning and we'd still be on for our study session, but I wasn't holding my breath on that one; she was unsteady, but she didn't seem anywhere near that level of intoxication.

"Of course not. He already thinks I'm the one setting everything up, so no need to tell him otherwise." She was resting her head on my shoulder, but didn't seem to be on the verge of passing out or throwing up, so I took that as a good sign. "After talking to Jace and watching you ignore every person who hit on you tonight, I've decided you're a worthy catch for him."

I laughed. "Thanks for the seal of approval. And the help."

"No problem. I think you're just what Alec needs right now, even if he doesn't want to admit it. Just don't get discouraged ok?" She looked up at me earnestly. "He's such an amazing person and really deserves someone great; he just doesn't think so, so he pushes people away. If you're not willing to put your all into this then tell me now. I'm not going to help you if you just want to get in my brother's pants and leave me to pick up the pieces."

She was looking at me with such intensity that it was almost unbelievable to think that'd I'd just seen her stumbling around drunk moments ago. Her eyes were clear and determined despite the alcohol I could still smell on her breath.

I'd seen Will be overprotective of his family, and me, for years and I never thought I'd meet a more intimidating sibling. I was wrong. Isabelle reminded me of a lioness protecting a cub, and I was pretty sure those manicured nails could, and _would, _rip me to shreds if I misstepped here.

There were a few moments of silence where we just sat there together; Izzy doing something on her phone and me thinking over her last words. _Was_ I just looking for a good time or did I want this to turn into something more? I didn't think I could legitimately answer that question, having only met the guy one time, but as soon as the thoughts took form, my mind was shouting _something more!_ It was entirely possibly that once I got to know Alec I would find out that we had nothing in common and were fundamentally different people, but I would never know until I tried. And one thing I _did_ know was that if there was even the slightest chance that this could bloom into something long lasting and phenomenal, then that was what I wanted. It'd been so long since I'd been so utterly affected by another person and I didn't want to let that go. As much as I was physically attracted to Alexander Lightwood, I was intrigued as well. I wanted to get to know everything about him, not just the way his lips felt against mine or the way our bodies fit together.

"I promise you that I have I have no intention of using your brother and every intention of putting my all into getting to know him. Is that ok?" I asked shifting uncomfortably. She'd put her phone down when I started to speak and locked that fierce gaze on me again.

Finally she relented and put her head back down on my shoulder. "Yes. You should come over around two tomorrow. I'll text you my address. O, and wear something similar to what you wore on Thursday. Alec likes men in ties."

"Thanks. Will do. Any particular color I should emphasize?"

The phone in her lap buzzed.

"Probably whatever brings out your eyes best. He couldn't stop going on about your eyes."

"Got it. You're quite the sister, you know that?" Isabelle's jump from aggressive protector to helpful matchmaker was insane. I had a feeling she was going to keep me on my toes; or very possibly, eggshells.

"Yup." She replied to her text message then looked back up at me. "Will you sit with me until my ride gets here?"

"Of course. I thought you said Clary was your DD tonight." We'd discussed driving arrangements earlier when Jace wouldn't stop pestering Clary about why she was only drinking soda.

"She was, but when I ran into Jace earlier he told me that she'd seen him 'talking' to some girl and 'threw a hissy fit and stormed off with her puppy dog'." She made air quotes for Jace's eloquent words. I assumed the puppy dog he was referring to was Glasses Guy, Samuel or whatever. "Apparently she forgot she was supposed to be driving me home and she's not answering her phone so I called someone else. My apartment's too far to walk and I wouldn't walk in _this _neighborhood in _this _outfit after midnight anyway."

"What a responsible lawbreaker you are Izzy Lightwood." I teased.

"I try." She looked past me down the sidewalk and quickly laid her head back down on my shoulder. "Now be good and play along." She started giggling and before I could ask what the hell she was talking about I heard a voice calling her name from the direction she'd looked in. She made to stand up, then sat right back down, as if she was having trouble staying upright. I looked up at her quizzically as the voice, and the body it belonged to, walked up beside us.

_Alec. _

The butterflies began fluttering like mad in my stomach.

_That sneaky little devil. She could've at least given me a heads up so I could check my make up! _

"Izzy are you ok?" The concern in his voice was so touching. It was obvious they cared about each other a lot. Too bad she was using that concern to her (well, _my_) advantage and making him worry for nothing.

Izzy was still giggling, unable to speak.

"She's alright. I think she may just need some steadying. I'm sure the heels aren't helping." I said to him as he tried to pull her up.

He looked over at me as if he'd just realized who I was. Which he probably did. I looked a lot different tonight than I had in class Wednesday.

"Oh, um, right." He looked completely shocked at my presence there and his cheeks were turning pink as his eyes took in my appearance. It made me feel a little self-conscious, but seeing as how he looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed, I tried to ignore the feeling.

Not that that made him any less attractive. His hair was unkempt (in a sexy way) and his beautiful blue eyes looked sleepy along with surprised. He had on a pair of holey blue jeans and a ratty old black_ish _sweatshirt that was zipped up in the front. A thumb stuck through a hole in the cuff and he looked like the most adorable homeless boy in the world.

"I don't think she had that much to drink, and you probably don't have to worry about her getting sick. She just needs a glass of water and a long nap." _And to stop faking because I know you are you little liar!_

"Ok. Um, I should probably get her home." He reached for Izzy's arm which she slung over his shoulder, and I moved to step out of his way, but was caught by her other arm wrapping over my shoulder as well. The height difference made this stance a little awkward, but it didn't seem to faze her at all. I tried to lift her arm off to no avail. That girl has the upper body strength of a male weightlifter.

"Why don't I help you?" I offered, taking Izzy's oh-so-subtle hint.

Apparently she wanted me to walk to him to his car.

"Oh… Uh, no it's ok, I can carry her-" fingernails dug into my collar.

"No I insist." I pinched Izzy's hip before I slid my hand around her waist to balance her weight at what just so happened to be the same time Alec attempted to put _his_ arm around her as well. Our fingers touched briefly before he quickly pulled away, positioning his hand higher up on middle and mumbling "sorry."

I could almost feel Izzy rolling her eyes.

We walked the little ways to his car and helped her to the passenger side.

"You guys are sooooo sweeeet," she pretend slurred, leaning up against the door and putting a hand on each of our cheeks. We both rolled our eyes. Alec took her arms and held her to him in a restraining and steadying hug while I opened her door. "I'm coooooold," she whined, tugging on his jacket zipper.

"Izz, stop it-" Alec chided while she wrestled to get his jacket off. "You could've just asked," he grumbled, now shivering a little himself, having worn only a ratty white tank top underneath. "Get in the car Isabelle." He pushed her towards the door and our arms brushed momentarily as I stepped out of the way. The skin to skin contact set my body alight with electricity. His pale flesh was still warm from being wrapped in the warm black material, making me shudder.

I stood back and watched while he got her buckled up and hissed things at her that were too quiet for me to hear. There were those tattoos Jace had mentioned. Thick black lines twisted into numerous symbols, some large, some small, that curled around his biceps, swirled around his shoulder blades and peaked through the light fabric of his shirt. When he closed her door and turned to face me I could faintly see a large, looped design on the right side of his chest, and the edge of something encircling his left hip bone.

The extent to which he was inked was unexpected, but I can't say I minded it. He looked damn sexy standing in front of me, and all I could think about was finding out when the rest of that mark on his hip went...

He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze and walked back over to his side of the car. I followed, still taking in the view of his gorgeous body. He leaned against the car door and ran a hand through that messy black hair, looking as if he wanted to say something. An unruly strand fell back into his eyes and before I could stop myself I'd reached out and brushed it away.

His cheeks heated again and he looked at the ground.

"Sorry about _that_." He gestured to the car where Izzy was pretending to be asleep. Or maybe she truly was asleep. All of that acting must've been exhausting. "I hope she didn't make you miss out on anything...or, any_one." _He practically whispered the last part, still not looking me in the eye.

I was inwardly smiling like an idiot. He definitely liked me. You'd have to be blind not to see that.

Outwardly I just shrugged. "Nothing important. I was about the leave anyway. My heart just wasn't in it."

"Oh," was all he managed as he opened the car door. I was sad he was running away so soon, but Izzy did tell me that I shouldn't get discouraged; he's just being shy. "Izzy said you'll be studying with us tomorrow?" He asked turning back to face me, this time actually looking at me and not the cracks in the sidewalk or the row houses behind my head.

_By the gods those eyes are amazing. _

"Yup. That is, If that's alright with you." I stepped closer and heard his breath catch. Our bodies were inches apart now.

"Of course." He breathed, looking more nervous, but not breaking our gaze. I leaned my head down a little closer, and he swallowed anxiously.

"I should get her home before she starts drooling on the upholstery." He said, turning away quickly. I sighed and stepped back to give him room to get into his car, unsure of whether I could be as patient as it seemed I was going to need to be. "I, uh, I'll see you tomorrow," he stuttered as he fumbled around for his keys. I gazed longingly at him, waiting for him to look at me before smiling seductively and replying, "I'll be counting the hours. Sweet dreams, Blue Eyes."

I waved goodbye to a face a darker shade of red than I think is healthy, and made my way back home to take a very long, very cold, shower.


	7. How to Prepare For a Not-Date

**Hellooooooo Everyone! Sorry this chapter took a little longer to update than usual. It was my boyfriend and my one year anniversary :)**

**As an apology, I give you an almost 4k word chapter and one that starts to make this story earn its T rating for Tasty suggestiveness ;) It is Alec POV. Hopefully you won't find it too boring (I tend to get very wordy during the Alec chapters) and hopefully you will not want to harm me too bad for ending where I do hehehe don't worry, chapter 8 is already written and just needs a proofread, so I won't make you wait too very long. **

**As always, I appreciate all the amazing reviews :) I love hearing what you guys think and its so awesome to get a giddy review and to know that you all are as invested in these two as I am. I'm also really happy that you guys like how I'm portraying them. Hopefully that approval continues. Feel free to let me know if you think I'm moving too far into the realm of AU when it comes to their personalities. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing below that is copyrighted. **

* * *

**Alec POV Chapter 7: How to Prepare for a Date That's NOT a Date.**

I felt like my heart was going beat out of my chest and, despite the fact that it was freezing outside and Izzy had stolen my jacket, my skin felt like it was on fire. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and started the car, heading off towards my sister's apartment.

"You can open your eyes now, I know you're faking."

Isabelle stretched her arms out and forged a yawn. Rubbing her eyes she said, "what a lovely nap. Did I miss anything?" and smiled wickedly at me.

"Are you proud of yourself?" I demanded, not answering her question.

"Yes, very. Though, I am a little disappointed in _you._ He was trying to KISS you and all you could do was go on and on about the upholstery!?" She threw her hands in the air incredulously.

"He wasn't... I mean, I-" I was at a loss for words. He _was_ about to kiss me and I'd chickened out. It was just happening so fast. Magnus Bane had been in my thoughts, and my dreams, all week. Seeing him tonight was a complete surprise, and I _don't_ handle surprises well. Especially not when all I can think about is how awful I looked compared to how amazing he did.

I definitely prefer the more toned-down look I'd seen him in on Wednesday, but he was still leaps and bounds more gorgeous than any man I'd ever met.

I hadn't even recognized him at first; I was too focused on Izzy's wellbeing. But then as soon as he spoke I realized who it was.

"Did you know he was going to be there? At that party?" I asked, moving the conversation away from my ridiculous cowardice.

"Of course I did; I invited him." She looked soooo smug.

I remember before I came out to my family that I had been really worried that she would never talk to me again once she found out. Its times like these, however, that I wonder if that would've been such a bad thing or not…

"What part of 'don't interfere' did you not understand?"

"I was just trying to help. It's a sibling's job to check out the potentials and report back." She pulled the visor down and started fiddling with her hair in the mirror.

"And?"

"And he has my seal of approval. He seems like a great guy, you really should give him a chance. And more importantly," we were at a stop and she turned my face towards hers, giving me a stern look. "You should let him kiss you the next time he tries. He sweet, funny, and _gorgeous_, and furthermore, he's into you. Go for it."

I turned my gaze back to the road, trying to hide the blush that I could feel creeping up my neck. We were almost at her apartment; I only had to deal with her talking about this for a minute more.

"Why are you so concerned with who I date all of a sudden? I thought you'd given up on fixing me up with people."

"I didn't give up, I just, went on a hiatus for a bit. Besides, _he_ approached _me_ remember? I was going to be a pawn in this one way or the other; I just prefer it to be _my _way."

"The way of trapping and deceiving and calling people out in the middle of the night for no reason?" I parked the car and unbuckled, turning in my seat to face her.

"Exactly. And it wasn't for _no_ reason. I legitimately needed a ride, which I thank you for by the way. I can't be blamed for knowing how to take advantage of a situation when it presents itself." I shook my head, feeling a headache coming on. As I have said many times, there was no point in arguing with her when she thinks she's right. And I couldn't say that I was really all that mad. I _had_ gotten to see Magnus, even if only briefly and while I looked like shit. Still. The sight of that man was worth hearing Izzy's I-told-you-so's 100x over.

"Go inside and get some sleep." I sighed. "I'm still expecting you to actually work on your French tomorrow, you know that right?"

"Yes sir!" She saluted me and stuck out her tongue. Sometimes it was so hard to believe that she'd recently turned eighteen. It was so much more like twelve. At eighteen I was starting my second year of college, focusing on getting A's and paying rent, not parties and boys. I can't really say things have changed at all, almost two years later. I just don't have time for that sort of thing.

Except, maybe with Magnus. I could make time to see where this may go, couldn't I?

Isabelle removed her seatbelt and turned to go. "Hey," I said as the passenger side door opened. "Thanks." She leaned over and gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Anytime."

* * *

_I had just woken up. About to roll out of bed when a strong, tanned arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back against the warm, muscular body it belonged to. I leaned my head back against his chest, smiling._

_"Don't go yet my darling." He kissed my neck; soft at first, then sucked and nibbled, enjoying the low moans he elicited from my lips. His hand explored my waist, tracing my hip bone with delicate fingers, sending shivers down my spine._

_"Magnus," I breathed in between helpless whimpers. His hand ventured further south while his mouth planted soft kisses along my jawline. I turned to face him, reaching up to tangle my fingers in the black hair that was sticking up in all directions from sleep. Our lips crashed together and he purred into our kiss when my grip tightened on his tresses as our hips met. I pressed myself against him, legs wrapping around him, our mouths battling for dominance. His hand slid past the elastic waistband of my boxers, teasing my hip, my thigh, until finally, finally..._

I woke up.

My heart was racing and there was a hungry ache in the pit of my stomach that was definitely not my body's desire for breakfast.

How long had it been since someone had _actually _touched me like that? No one since Sebastian, and that ended almost two years ago when he'd moved to Paris to go to college. That was the most intimate relationship I've ever had and even that only progressed to intense make out sessions and heavy petting. I'd never felt ready with him and then, after he'd left, I really didn't have the time or energy to put into developing a relationship with anyone else.

I had Jem and Izzy for friendship and intellectual company and as far as the other stuff was concerned well, stress, anxiety, and occasional bouts of depression tend to push ones sex drive into nonexistence.

Not so anymore, apparently.

I would be seeing Magnus today at two o'clock. That left me with an agonizing six hours to fill, and all my brain wanted to do was think about what touching him would feel like, and how it would feel for him to touch me.

I needed to get out of this bed. These thoughts were too awkward to be having about someone was I going to see so soon.

Maybe a shower would help.

A very cold shower.

* * *

When I got back to my room after my frigid shower, my phone was blinking up at me from the nightstand indicating that I had a text.

It was from Izzy.

**Hey, is it ok if we study at your place today? Clary is in bitch mode because of the stuff with Jace last night (apparently the "big boobed bimbo" was sitting on his lap when she found them) so she's slamming things around and blasting Adele and Sara Bareilles as loud as she can. If I don't leave this place soon I am going to commit MURDER!**

My fingers had typed **sure no problem,** before my brain could process the implications of her words.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

**Thank you sooooooo much! Can I come over like now? She's getting dangerously close to the Taylor Swift stage.**

I told Izzy she could come over and got dressed, not bothering to pick out anything particular. Knowing Izz, she had probably made the whole thing about Clary up just so that she could come over here early and chose my outfit for me.

I left my room and found Jem in the kitchen making himself breakfast.

"Morning." He greeted me as I opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice.

"Morning. Hey, just so you know, Izzy's coming over in a few and we're going to be studying here today. Magnus will be here at two." My stomach knotted thinking about Magnus being in my apartment.

Jem raised his eyebrows at me then turned his attention back to his omelette. I had told him about Magnus and everything that'd happened last night when I'd returned home. The new medication he's on gives him insomnia some nights, so he was wide awake to listen to my pathetic story.

"That's fine. I have a physical therapy appointment at three so you'll have the place to yourselves." He flashed me a sly smile and I blushed at the implication.

"Izzy will be here too. We're all three studying together." I took a seat at our small round kitchen table. Jem played his omelette and sat across from me.

"I'm sure those are precisely Isabelle's intentions." He said sarcastically.

"Yeah...I'm prepared for her to try to bail as soon as he gets here." I stared into my orange juice.

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

My head snapped up to meet Jem's soft gaze. "There are other things to life than studying Alec. And trust me; it's too short to just let them pass you by." There was sadness in his silver eyes and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep the tears from coming. Jem had so much to offer. So much more than me, or anyone I'd ever met. It was so unfair that he probably wouldn't get to experience half the things that I would.

"Stop it." He ordered, poking my forearm with his fork.

"Ow! Stop what? I wasn't doing anything."

"You were feeling sorry for me. I can see it in your eyes. Stop."

"Sorry." I mumbled feeling embarrassed. I know he hates it whenever I acknowledge his illness. He gets that all day from nurses, doctors, family, hell even strangers. He doesn't need it from me. "So you think I should give it a shot with Magnus?"

"Yes. What's the worst that could happen?"

I had actually already compiled a long list of bad things that could come of this; starting with the not so horrible (I get up the courage to kiss him and chip his tooth on mine, or he tells me I got the wrong idea and never speaks to me again), to the more devastatingly horrible (I fall in love with him only to find out that he's sleeping with my sister or he's a fugitive who is only interested in me so that he can steal my identity).

"Alec, it was a rhetorical question. I don't need your actual list."

"I don't-" I began indignantly.

"How long have I been your best friend? I know you have one Alec. You need to stop overthinking this."

'That's not exactly easy with Isabelle plotting and planning." I scoffed. I got up to pour myself a bowl of cereal and Church stole my seat almost immediately. Jem smiled and picked some of the ham out of his omelette, tossing it to the waiting cat.

I could feel Church's eyes on me as I poured my milk so I got out a saucer and filled it so I wouldn't have to deal with him trying to steal out of my bowl. I swear, Jem lets that cat get away with murder.

The doorbell rang as I sat Church's milk on the table. "Speak of the devil." I muttered, going to the door to let Izzy in and leading her into the kitchen. My corn flakes were starting to get soggy, but I wasn't really in a mood to eat anyway so I took two bites before dumping the rest down the garbage disposal.

"Morning Jem. Did Alec tell you we're studying over here today?" Isabelle made herself right at home; putting a piece of bread in the toaster she began to slice up some strawberries to put in her cereal.

"Yes, we were just discussing it actually. As I told your brother, I have to be at the hospital by three so you'll have a few hours of silence."

"Yeah, because you're always so loud." I remark sarcastically, making Izzy giggle.

"Oh, that reminds me; I have another study group today so I'm probably going to have to leave a bit early."

I could see Jem trying to hide his smile. I just rolled my eyes. "Of course you do. Why don't you just call Magnus and see if he can come over early, since you're already here? That way we'll be all finished up by the time you have to leave."

I didn't really have a problem with her leaving us alone (aside from being nervous as hell to see him again and the growing list of things that could go wrong running through my head); I just wanted to see if her first semester as a drama major was paying off.

"He said two was the earliest he could make it," she said without missing a beat, making an 'oh well, too bad' face. "On the brightside, we have plenty of time to figure out what you're going to wear and do something with that hair."

I had no argument for her. I knew she'd end up getting her way in the end, so it was generally easier to give in early and save myself the time and headache.

"I will let you go through my clothes, _if_ you can call them by their French names. And you can fix my hair if you can tell me how to say that in French as well." I was pretty confident my hair was safe (Izzy had a lot of trouble with the reflexive verbs), but I was almost certain that she'd memorized the entire fashion vocab list before she knew how to say hello.

"Deal." Izzy beamed with her success while she munched on toast.

* * *

By the time two o'clock rolled around Izz had settled on "un tee-shirt bleu" (one of the only colored t-shirts I own and one that's a deep, navy blue with a V-neck collar), and "un pantalon noir" (one of the few pairs of not faded black pants I had). She'd searched and searched for anything in a lighter shade, but the only pieces of light clothing I have are my socks and one white button down I wear when I have interviews. She surprised me by correctly conjugating the reflexive verb se brosser, thereby winning the rights to mess with my hair. After much frustration, most of it having to do with the size of our bathroom and my lack of hair products, she finally exclaimed she was done and it was "as good as it's gonna get." I personally think that she made it look exactly the same as it had before I'd showered this morning, but who am I to judge her styling expertise?

She was in such a fashion frenzy that Jem had even let her help him choose what to wear to his appointment. In light grey slacks, a white button up with dark tie topped with a dark grey cardigan, I thought he was going a little over the top for a meeting with his physical therapist, considering the fact that he would be changing clothes when he got there anyway, but I figured he was trying to help take the attention off me and I was thankful. He was even wearing cologne which he hardly ever bothered with. It was a subtle spiced scent that he'd gotten for Christmas one year and usually just sat at the back of our bathroom cabinet.

Izzy and I were taking a break from working on her pronunciations, which she was getting a lot better at, and we were all sitting on the couch watching the Animal Planet's _Too Cute Kittens _(it was the only thing the three of us could agree on, though Church looked rather disgusted whenever any of us 'awwed'), when the doorbell rang. My heart immediately started to race and I probably would have just sat there freaking out all day if Izzy hadn't elbowed me in the ribs.

"Aren't you gonna answer that?"

I got off the couch and walked over to the door, feeling the stares of my comrades on my back.

"Hey, come on in." I said as I opened the door, before I'd actually had the chance to look at the man standing before me. It was a good thing I had too, because for a moment I forgot how to speak. I may have forgotten how to breathe as well, because I felt myself gasp when he stepped past me and into the apartment, brushing my arm.

I had to stop myself from staring at the tall, gorgeous creature taking a seat in my home. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a lot of holes in them, but whereas most of my jeans had holes because I wear them far longer than a person should, these looked like they had been made that way; 'distressed' I think is what Izz calls it. He had on brown leather boots, a tight baby blue button down shirt and a black unbuttoned waistcoat, along with a pencil thin black silk tie. _God that's sexy._ His belt matched his boots and displayed some large silver buckle that I only glanced at. I didn't want him to notice me looking and think I was a creep. He had much less make up on than he'd had last night; only a small amount of green shadow that made those golden green orbs shine. His hair lacked the glittery spikes that I'd seen the last two times and I have to say, it looked _so good_. Not that I didn't like the spikes, but the way it looked down made my fingers yearn to be entwined in it.

Magnus was introducing himself to Jem when I finally remembered how to walk back over to them.

"Alec, before you sit down, would you be so kind as to get me another cup of tea before I have to leave?" Jem asked me as I was about to take my seat. It was a little surprising considering that Jem hates people doing things for him, even something as simple as getting a drink.

"Oo, can you get me a water while you're in there?" Izzy added.

"Sure. Magnus would you like anything?" I didn't want to leave our guest out, since I was playing waiter anyway.

"Tea would be lovely. Here let me help." He stood up to come with me to the kitchen.

"Oh, no it's fine, I can manage." I said hastily, earning eye rolls from both my sister and roommate.

"Nonsense. You have three drink orders and only two hands. Lead the way." He motioned for me to go to the kitchen so I did. Couldn't argue with logic. I saw Jem wink at Izz out the corner of my eye. Hmm….

"We have sweet tea in the fridge and all of these" I opened the cupboard to reveal two shelves full of boxes of flavored teas. Jem and I have a habit of buying new kinds, having one cup, and then never touching them again. We each have about three favorites and the rest just get pushed to the back.

"Take your pick."

Magnus laughed as he sorted through the tower of tea, choosing a mandarin orange green tea.

I handed him a cup, smiling at his choice. It was one of my favorites. I put the kettle on to boil and put a spearmint tea bag in a cup for Jem and an orange one in Magnus's cup as well as my own.

"Thank you, for taking care of Izzy and everything last night. I don't know if I said it." I was trying to make some sort of small talk. Silence was too awkward.

"It was no problem. Thank you for agreeing to help with my French, I know you're very busy."

I almost burst out laughing, but caught myself. As if I'd had a choice. Not that he knew that. Or needed to know that.

"I'm already helping out Izzy. Besides, you seemed to need it."

He made a mock hurt face and I realized how rude what I'd said was. _Good job Alec. Less than ten minutes in and you've already insulted him._

"I'm sorry- that didn't come out right. I just meant... you, um, you seemed-" he put a finger to my lips, halting my rambles and causing chills up my spine. He was smiling down at me, standing close enough for me to take in his vanilla and sandalwood (I had taken Izzy's incenses out the other day to verify the fragrance) scent.

"You're so cute when you blush." He spoke softly.

I felt my cheeks heat even more, but I didn't have the strength, or desire, to break our stare.

An hour, a day, a second later the kettle began to whistle. I have no idea how many moments truly went by. All I know is that I could stare into those eyes forever and never want to stop.

We fixed our drinks without another word and I grabbed Izzy a bottle of water from the fridge before heading back into the den.

Izzy and Jem were now sitting in the two chairs, leaving the sofa for Magnus and me.

_Great their working together now,_ I thought begrudgingly. It was a little hurtful that they thought I needed both of their help to get a date.

Though, to be honest, if it were completely up to me it was highly unlikely I would have even seen him again, let alone have him sitting next to me in my, soon to be empty, apartment.

Speaking of which...

Jem left as soon as he finished with his tea. Izzy stayed through a chapter 4 vocabulary review and then said she had to leave as well, making apologies to Magnus for having to bail. He seemed unfazed; either he'd picked up on her deceitful acting after last night's performance and didn't mind or he believed her and didn't mind. Either way, he looked almost happy to see her go.

And then we were alone…


	8. How to Stop Thinking Too Much

**Here it is: The conclusion to my evil cliffhanger mwahahahaha! **

**This story is getting very long and I see no end in sight, so thank you everyone for sticking with me and staying interested. And especially for reviewing. Y'all are so awesome. Hopefully you won't get bored.**

**Just a friendly reminder: This is rated T for m/m kissing ****and such *wink*, so if you don't want to read that, you should skip over this chapter and pretend like they just had a lovely tea party. **

* * *

**Chapter 8: How to Stop Thinking Too Much **

"She's not very subtle is she?" He asked as soon as Isabelle left, turning to face me on the couch we were sharing. I blushed and laughed nervously.

"Uh no, not really. Sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

"Don't be. Now we're alone." The grin on his face told me he'd definitely figured out Izzy's game; and was more than willing to play it.

I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel the onset of an anxiety attack. What was it about this guy that got me so worked up? It wasn't like I'd never kissed someone before; granted, it had been a while since it'd happened last, but still. I shouldn't be getting this nervous.

Jem is right: I think too much.

I cleared my throat, trying to get a hold on my emotions.

The finely manicured hand now resting on my thigh was _not _helping.

Magnus was moving closer and I felt frozen. I couldn't move, couldn't talk. My list of horrible outcomes just kept running over and over in my mind.

The smile slowly faded from Magnus's face and his perfect eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you alright? Look, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to." He removed his hand from my thigh. I wanted to put it back, but I still couldn't remember how to move. "I just thought after last night and the kitchen and what Isabelle said, that this was what you wanted, but I'm guessing I read all of that wrong." He looked confused and a little… _sad? Disappointed?_ That couldn't be right. No one would be disappointed to not be with me.

He scooted back over to the edge of the sofa and began flipping through the pages of his French textbook, his shoulders stiff and gaze determined.

The distance hurt, but it was also good. It helped my brain and body start functioning as a cohesive unit once more; emerging from their fog.

A few moments passed before I managed to get out, "you didn't," in the form of a loud whisper.

He looked up at me quizzically, a little startled at my breaking the silence.

"Read the situation wrong, that is. I just..." I took a breath. _Come on Alec, you can do this. You _want_ this. _I avoided looking at him as I finished. "It's been awhile since I've been out with anybody and I just, I guess, have this bad habit of, uh, overthinking things." I looked down at my bare feet sheepishly, just knowing that I'd blown my chance with this amazing, sexy man sitting next to me and now he probably now thought I was neurotic or something. Once I'd started talking though, I felt like I needed to explain myself to him until he understood, or said something at the very least. "It just felt really...fast, and it's not that I don't, because I do; like you, I mean. I _do_ like you-"

"Alexander, darling, stop talking." Magnus's use of my whole name had cut off my words even before his hand came to rest on my mouth. My name had never sounded so beautiful. And he was smiling at me. Not angry or upset or freaked out, but _smiling. _

I tried to say I was sorry, but his hand was in the way so it just came out as a mumble. He leaned down and lightly, ever so lightly, brushed my cheek with his soft lips.

"Let's just focus on the French for now and see where that takes us, ok?" He removed his hand so I could reply.

"Ok." I said nodding like a stupid bobble head. He gave my hand a quick squeeze then pulled his book onto his lap, handing me his study guide. We sat cross legged on the couch facing each other, knees touching, for the next hour. Every now and then he would take my hand in his or place his hand on my knee or even steal another quick kiss on my cheek.

"J'ai vingt-deux ans. Quel âge as-tu?" He asked me around four as part of our chapter practice. Answering and forming questions in a timely manner had been the most difficult thing for me to start with in 101, so that's what I focused on with Izzy and Magnus. They would need the skills when they moved on to the upper levels.

It was also a good way to find out basic information about him.

So he was 22. About three years older than me. That wasn't too bad of an age gap. I've never been that into dating guys my own age anyway, as they are generally immature idiots.

"J'ai dix-neuf ans." He raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Didn't you say you were in your third year here?"

"Yeah, I had a lot of credits from high school, and I graduated a year early. I'll be twenty soon." I said uncomfortably. I hate when people make a big deal out of my accomplishments, so I try to play them down as best I can. It just makes me feel awkward and I never know what to say.

"Wow, that's awesome. You sound like my friend Will. So much drive and determination. I wish I'd had some of that..."

"Having to support yourself at sixteen is a pretty good motivator to get started with life." I replied bitterly, before I could stop myself. I hadn't meant to mention that. I don't bring up my past with _anybody_. It's none of their business and I really don't enjoy other people's judgment, but it'd slipped out before I had realized what I was saying; I just felt so comfortable talking to him.

"What happened?" He looked genuinely concerned and I couldn't help it. Looking into those emerald eyes made me feel safe, unjudged. Like I could tell this man anything and he would understand. So I did. I told him about my parents kicking me out because of the neighbor boy and the fact that I only ever talk to them during the holidays and on birthdays when they feel like it's their good Christian duty to say hello and remind me that I'm going to hell. I told him how they've never even seen my apartment or met my roommate because they assumed that just because I was living with a guy meant that I was living "in sin" with the guy, despite the fact that I told them otherwise every time it was brought up. I hadn't meant to get emotional or to share any of that with him, but I did. And he listened and intertwined our fingers and, thankfully, pretended not to notice when I had to wipe my eyes talking about the party they'd thrown Isabelle when she'd gotten her own place for the semester.

I felt like even more of an idiot than I did freezing up earlier.

"Was the kiss at least worth it? With your neighbor?" He asked when I was all done recanting my life story. I laughed. This man had the ability to both give me a panic attack and completely diffuse my tension and anxiety all together. It was incredible.

"I can't really remember. So I guess that's a no. Can't say I've really had all that many memorable kisses in my life thus far, come to think of it." I shrugged.

"Hopefully I can fix that someday. If you'd want..." He spoke calmly. Trying to make sure I didn't freak out again I'm sure, but there was a spark in his eyes.

And I didn't feel like freaking out. I wanted him. Wanted to touch him, kiss him, feel him pressed against me. All the things I'd been fantasizing about since Wednesday came flooding into my mind.

Before I knew what was happening my lips were on his. It was so much better than I had imagined. Those lips were so soft and tasted a little like cherries.

He didn't seem to mind that I had kissed him without any warning. His hand grasped the base of my neck, pulling me harder to his mouth, fingers entangling slightly in my hair.

I had a brief moment of panic thinking about my own hands and what I was supposed to be doing with them. Should I touch his face? Place them around his waist? Neck?

Magnus brought my mind back into the moment when he nibbled my bottom lip, earning an involuntary half moan half whimper.

My brain didn't have to capacity to analyze _and_ experience, so I chose to put my effort into the more enjoyable of my options; focusing on how his tongue felt sliding between my lips, brushing my own with its wet warmth. I moaned into his mouth again when he tightened his grip on my hair.

I had never thought I'd like that very much; my hair being pulled. But it ignited something inside of me, making my body tingle.

My hands acted on their own; the first moving to his hip, the second reaching for his tie, pulling gently as I leaned back onto the couch. He needed no further encouragement. Our bodies pressed together as he lay on top of me, our legs intertwined. One of his arms supported his weight while the other continued to drive me crazy knotted in my messy locks. I untied the piece of silk around his neck and tossed it aside, my fingers deftly working to unbutton his baby blue shirt. I had finished unbuttoning and was pushing the fabric away, exploring the smooth surface of his chest when my mind turned back on.

_What am I doing?_ If we hadn't been moving too fast before, we _certainly_ were now.

He sat up a bit, just enough for me to have room to remove the shirt he was tugging up over my head and throwing across the room, then he was on me again. Our skin pressed together; he felt cool compared to the heat of my own body and I desperately wanted to be closer, to feel as much of him as was possible. His lips left mine and began to trace the line of my jaw, chasing all thoughts of slowing down out of my head temporarily. I gasped and arched off the couch slightly, pressing our hips closer together as I felt his teeth on my neck. He'd bitten me, hard, and was flicking his tongue against the spot rapidly. It had been painful for a split second, but after that it just felt _amazing. _He moaned at the pressure of our closer contact and bit me again; this time lower, just passed my collar bone. There would likely be a mark there tomorrow but I didn't care. One hand slid into his hair, encouraging him to continue with the kissing and biting, the other was flirting with the waistline of his jeans, fighting with my logic about just of how far I wanted to take this.

We barely knew each other, and here I was, half naked underneath (an also half naked) Magnus, making out with him as if it were our last night on earth.

With no small amount of effort, I forced myself to keep my hands above his waist and decided that as long as he did the same, this could go on all night.

There was no harm in making out right? We were both adults. And besides, this was what college was for (at least according to Izzy).

A few minutes (I think; it could've been ages for all I know; I have no concept of time when I am with Magnus) went past and his lips were on mine again, his hand sliding down my torso, softly caressing every curve and dip of my slender, somewhat muscular body. I flinched when his hand got dangerously close to the button on my pants and I managed pulled back, breaking our kiss, when I felt him start on the zipper. He immediately stopped, bringing his hand to my side once again and looking at me apologetically.

"Too fast?" He asked, a little breathless. Those catlike eyes were filled with concern; as if he was afraid I was going to freak out or kick him out or something. Which, if my body hadn't been screaming for him to do exactly was he'd been about to do, I might have. It surprised me a lot to not see annoyance or frustration when I looked up at him. I hadn't been expecting him to be so, understanding and respectful of my boundaries. A lot of guys weren't.

Which was a big reason why I didn't date a lot.

I smiled up at him, tracing his bottom lip with my index finger. It was pink and swollen from all of the kissing, making his look even more attractive. If that was possible.

"A little." I answered, blushing. "Can we just, stick to what we've been doing for a little while?" I bit my lip (which was a little sore from all the sucking and biting Magnus had been doing to it); waiting for a change in his expression or some other sign to tell me that I'd given him more credit than was due. Instead he simply smiled back and kissed me softly.

"_My pleasure_." He whispered on my lips. A shiver ran through my body and we began ravaging each other again.


	9. How Best to Diffuse Nervousness

**Hello my pretties! Let me start off by saying that I apologize for making the first kiss(es) such a short chapter in comparison to the others. I just couldn't get anything else to go right with it. I've been having some writer's block issues, so the chapters are coming a little slower than before, but hopefully I will get over it soon and be able to get out a bunch more before the semester begins and I have zero time to write. **

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews and it's awesome to see comments from people who have been reading from the beginning as well as newcomers. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments or it's characters, those are Cassandra Clare's. And the Abercrombie and Fitch cologne is real and not my product. (but does smell INCREDIBLE and makes you want to attack the man wearing it with kisses.) **

**This is back to Magnus POV. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: How Best to Diffuse Nervousness **

I was walking on air when I left Alec's place. We'd spent over two hours on his couch making out _and_ we had a date for Wednesday night after my class let out. A _real _date involving just the two of us. No sisters or roommates allowed.

It was passed seven when we'd eventually broken apart, finally satiated with one another's taste, for now.

We lay side by side on the sofa, staring into each other's eyes, getting to know each other a little better. (Yes, I understand that we did that backwards, but I don't care. In fact, I prefer it that way. Alec was so much more relaxed once all of the tension between us was resolved.)

He had an adorable habit of burying his face in my shoulder or a pillow, or whatever was close and suitable, when he felt embarrassed to say something. Which, it turns out, was close to half of our conversation.

I can't say I minded too terribly.

I love the way it feels to have him cradled against my shoulder, even if it _is_ because he's hiding. At least he's past the running away stage (I think...), and he was talking, embarrassed or not. The first time he did it was right after we'd stopped kissing and had gotten situated next to each other.

"Hopefully _some_ of that will be more memorable than your previous, _inferior_, experiences." I teased, referring to his earlier confession that none of his past kissing partner's techniques had ever made an impression on his memory.

His face turned a delightful shade of rose and he nuzzled up against me.

Such a simple act to make me so genuinely happy.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be forgetting any of that for a _long_ time." I heard him say, slightly muffled. I laughed, surprising myself with how much this boy's approval meant to me.

He took a breath in and paused, as if he wanted to say something else, but wasn't sure how to phrase it. I had a pretty good idea of what was likely going through his anxious mind.

"Me either." I purred. It was a reassurance, but definitely not a lie. It was certainly going to be a long time before I forgot that hungry, uncertain, determined look on his face when he'd leaned across the couch to kiss me. And I was positive my mind would be replaying everything that followed for a _very_ long time; especially the way he pulled me on top of him and unbuttoned my shirt, all nervousness and hesitance lost in the moment. I would be dreaming of the way his body _actually _felt against mine (as opposed to my recent dreams that had been purely imagination, and not done justice to him at that) until I had the glorious chance to feel it again.

The feeling of his mouth curving into a smile against my chest was almost too much to handle. My heart fluttered in my chest and I felt an urgent need to have that perfect mouth on mine again.

This was how the next half hour progress; about a two minute conversation during which one of us would say or do something that made the other want to kiss him and then we would be at it again for at least as long as we had talked. I could've gone on like that all night, but just as I was gently scraping my nails across Alec's hip, testing how low I could go before his mental alarms went off, an _actual_ alarm went off. I jumped and pulled my hand back; he looked up at me and laughed, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

"I really should change that ringtone..." he muttered, replying to the text message. "Jem's on his way back. We should probably,"_ 'take this to the bedroom'_ were the words I wanted to hear, but alas, "call it a night," was what escaped from those luscious lips.

"I suppose." I tried not to sound too disappointed, but I don't think it worked because he laughed again and kissed me briefly before placing his head on my shoulder once more. His breath was warm on my neck.

"We should, go out sometime. Like, to dinner or something..."

_You are too adorable when you're shy! _

"Why Alexander, are you asking me out on a date?" I couldn't help but tease. He was so cute when he blushed; even if I couldn't see the face he was burrowing into me.

"I guess." he shrugged.

"Well try not to sound so enthusiastic about it..." I said with a huff. I'd put a lot of effort into getting us this far, he was going to have to do some work too. "Ask for what you want or you won't get it." I said matter-of-fact-ly.

He sighed and then, removing his face from my neck, kissed me deeply and without warning.

I had half a mind to push him away and tell him that that wasn't exactly how you ask for things, but thought better of it. He could ask me for _anything _this way.

After about a minute he pulled away, keeping his face close and arm tight around my neck.

"Magnus Bane, will you go out on a date with me?" I was impressed with his ability to look me in the eye the entire time he spoke. Kissing was a good confidence builder.

"I thought you'd never ask." I smiled and place my lips against his once more.

"I should probably find my shirt; Jem will be here any minute." He said after we broke apart. I pouted a little, but relented. We had made a lot of progress today and I didn't want to push him too much further. I sat up and quickly did the buttons up on my shirt while he went across the room to grab his and put it back on.

"When are you free, for our date, I mean." He asked me while I packed up my things. He was trying to sound nonchalant, but there was that ever present, ever cute, hint of nervousness behind his words. As if he thought now that we were standing and fully clothed I would change my mind about the situation.

"I have a test Tuesday morning that I really should spend Monday studying for, and I work Tuesday night. I'm free after 640 on Wednesday though."

"Wednesday's perfect." My insides melted at the look of sheer happiness on his face. "We should probably exchange phone numbers, in case something comes up or-"

"In case I can't make it until Wednesday without hearing your gorgeous voice." I interrupted. It was very likely to be the case.

He blushed and got out his phone quickly, unlocking it and handing it to me to type in my information.

_...Whoops,_ time for me to blush (just slightly) when I remembered that _I _already had _his_ phone number in my phone. If he went to type it in, it would pop up; along with the affectionate nickname I'd given him.

I added myself to his contact list and handed the phone back to him.

"Do you not want my number?" He asked, confused.

"I, uh, already have it." His eyebrows raised in surprise, before a look of annoyance appeared.

"Let me guess, Izzy?"

Good, he was annoyed with her, not me. Still... I couldn't exactly lie and say she'd given it to me, because then he would yell at her and she would deny it. Did he need to know just how much effort I'd put into seeing him again?

Probably not.

"Let's just say a little birdie gave it to me and leave it at that." He looked as if he was about to pry some more, but luckily the door opened just then and Jem interrupted whatever thoughts he'd been having.

"Hey Jem." Alec said, his cheeks instantly turning a bright carnation pink while the rest of his face and neck worked to catch up.

"Hey, I, uh, wasn't expecting you to be in here..." Jem said awkwardly, fiddling with the collar of his shirt as he closed the door, and looked back at his friend. Or should I say _around_ his friend. Neither of the two men was looking at the other. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I? Because I can leave again-"

"No, no, I was just about to head out myself." I chimed in, unusually affected by the heavy awkwardness in the room. Typically, I'm the tension breaker since I have almost no sense of shame whatsoever, but this was getting very uncomfortable very fast. They both looked like child caught with their hand in the cookie jar: guilty. I don't know what Jem's problem was, but I hoped Alec wasn't going to be regretful of our budding relationship. I told myself it was just his shyness since Jem knew, or at the very least had a very good idea about, what we'd spent the last two hours doing.

I gave Alec a little kiss on the cheek and nodded to Jem as I headed out the door, leaving them to their avoiding stares and silence.

* * *

When I got home Will was sitting on the sofa taking his shoes off, looking pleased with himself.

"You're back kind of late aren't you?" I asked, looking at my watch. It was almost eight. His shift usually ends by five.

"I had some back paperwork to file and then I stopped to get a bite to eat." Something about the way he answered made me suspicious. It sounded rehearsed.

"So how was your play date?" He changed the subject before I could focus on the possibility of deceit, getting up to follow me into the kitchen.

I was starving! Making out for two hours involves a lot of calorie burning and on top of that, I had barely eaten any lunch.

"In a word: marvelous." I opened the fridge and searched for something quick and easy to cook. Pizza toast it is!

"Spill. I want details, not single adjectives." Will hopped up on the counter, perched like a curious cat. Our actual cat was standing beneath him, staring up longingly as if to say "why are you allowed to sit up there but I'm not?" Will grabbed the bag of treats out of the cabinet by his head and tossed some to Chairman Meow, one at a time making the little white fluff-ball run across the kitchen floor to get them. He loved to torture my baby with 'exercise', as he called it. "Do you finally succeed in kissing him?"

My lips curved into a wide grin involuntarily, answering Will's question.

"Aaaannnndddd?" He was practically bouncing on the countertop.

I pulled the bread, cheese, and pepperonis out of the fridge and set them on an unoccupied section of counter, taking my time to answer.

"And it was incredible. Definitely better than I'd imagined. I could tell he was pretty inexperienced, but not in a bad way, you know? In that sort of eager to please and figure out what I like, way." I laid the slices of bread out on a cookie sheet and started slathering them with pizza sauce.

"And did he?" Will inquired, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.

I closed my eyes and sighed at the memory. "Oh yes."

Will laughed and I finished making my pizza creations, sliding them into the oven and setting the timer.

While the stove timer's 15 minutes counted down, I gave Will all the sordid details of my tutoring session, leaving out the personal conversation topics and sticking to the important bits, like how amazing Alec looked without a shirt on.

"And you should see those tattoos, mmm..." I told him as I pulled the delicious creations out of the oven. Will leaned passed me to grab a slice (even though he'd _just _told me he'd gotten dinner before coming home), and I got a whiff of cologne.

"Who do you smell like?" I asked suspiciously, brows knitted in concentration. I knew I'd smelled it before, but I couldn't place it.

"Abercrombie and Fitch... Same thing I'm smelled like since I was fourteen." It was true, I could smell that ever familiar _Fierce_ on him, same as he'd always had since the day he started wearing cologne. He credited that fragrance with getting him his first kiss, his first girlfriend, his first _boyfriend_ when he'd decided the female gender was not for him, and the loss of his virginity. I think he gives the expensive little bottle too much credit (he is pretty attractive on his own after all), but I couldn't deny that it smelled _good_.

That's not all I detected on him tonight though.

"I know _that_ one. What I'm asking is who does that spicy scent belong to?"

Will pulled at his collar absentmindedly and shrugged. He shouldn't have done that, because he pulled the neck of his shirt down just enough for me to see the round, pinkish bruise that was forming on his collarbone.

"Oh, uh, it's probably something one of my patients wears. We work pretty closely you know; it probably just rubbed off on me or something."

"Was it the same patient that left that hickey on your neck? Cuz I'm pretty sure _that's_ not part of your job description." I laughed as his hand flew up to his throat.

"That's not a hickey. It's just some bruise I got earlier; I need more iron in my diet."

"Uh huh, a bruise shaped like someone's mouth..." I pulled at his shirt to get a better look at the mark. "William, are you hiding something from me?"

He swatted my hand away, almost falling off the counter in his retreat.

"Hey, didn't you say you were going to wear a tie today?" He asked out of nowhere. I paused momentarily, distracted by my thoughts of Alexander taking it off of me and unbuttoning my shirt. I must've forgotten to put it back on...

_Dammit._

Will used my temporary pause to run out of the room, shouting "I'm going to bed."

"It's eight thirty!" I yelled back, running to catch him.

"I'm tired." Was the response through the door that was so rudely slammed in my face.

I snorted. "I'll bet you are." I shouted back laughing.

"Leave me alone!" I heard his door lock and loud music being turned on.

I _would_ find out who he was hiding from me, but I'd give him the evening. Besides, I wanted to bask in my glorious memories for a night.

* * *

After finishing my dinner and showering I cuddled up in bed with Chairman Meow and my laptop. The plan was to get a head start on my paper for my journalism class. I got just over a page written before my boredom got the best of me and I checked my phone.

I had a message from_ Blue Eyes_ time stamped 8:35 PM. My eyes went immediately to my phone clock. 10:04 PM. I'd had a text from him for OVER AN HOUR and had been wasting my time on this stupid paper instead of talking to him?! I made a mental note to check my phone more often in the future.

I opened the message and smiled at its contents.

**Hey, it's Alec. Uh, Jem found your tie under the coffee table... I didn't even notice you didn't have it on when you left. **

Well that must've helped add to the awkwardness floating around in that room when I left.

**Sorry about that. I didn't notice until my roommate pointed it out either. Guess my mind was on other things... ;)**

I had enough time to think _I wonder if he'll reply tonight, _when my phone vibrated. _That would be a yes. _

**It's ok. You know, you don't have to intentionally leave things over here; we're definitely going to see each other again. **

Seems that Alec gains more confidence hiding behind a pillow _or_ a text message.

**Yes, but now I have a guarantee, whether you like it or not. **

**I'm pretty sure we both know that I like it.** He replied almost instantly and it made me smile; no matter how confident you are, it never hurts to have the object of you affection make it 100% clear that they like you back. And ot only like you, but want to see you again.

**I don't know... Maybe you were just faking it to humor me. **I couldn't help but taunt him, I loved hearing (or, reading rather, as it was a text message) him say it.

**Ha, trust me when I say Izzy got all the acting genes in this family ... ****And there are some things I can't fake on command.**

I could just _sense_ him blushing through the phone when he sent that.

**Good. I like the effect I have on you :)**

**I do too ;)**

I grinned widely at his words. This boy made me feel like a giddy school girl. And act like one too. I couldn't wait to see him again and I was even a little nervous about it. _So_ unlike me. I generally prefer to play hard to get, acting uninterested in where things go. That's usually because I am. But with Alec...

**I can't wait to see you again.**

_"_How desperate does that sound?" I chided aloud to Chairman Meow after I'd hit send.

A minute passed. Then two. "Good job Magnus. Way to be needy_." T_he Chairman gave me a reassuring lick on the hand and I scratched between his ears as a thank you for being such a supportive friend.

At the four minute mark my phone vibrated once more and I eagerly opened the message.

_Oh god. _He'd sent me a photo with the sarcastic caption: **better? **

I replied** a** **bit **just in case it earned me another photograph, but it was in fact the opposite. That shy smile, tousled hair, and those sleepy blues eyes made me ache for his presences even more than I had before. I wanted that plump bottom lip between mine to nibble; wanted to trace my fingers over those enigmatic markings that covered his exposed shoulders in that black tank top that made the paleness of his skin stand out even more.

**You look delicious. **I added before he'd replied again. No point in hiding how smitten I was. Especially since I'd told him earlier that he needed to ask for what he wanted. Sometimes you need to take your own advice. Besides, this confidence needed to be promoted. It was incredibly sexy. I showed the picture to the Chairman and he mewed in approval. The cat's got good taste.

**You **_**are**_** delicious. **Came the reply. _Mmmmmmmmmmm._... I wanted to melt into his words. He was getting me too worked up, this needed to end soon before I was temped to take it too far.

**As are you my darling :) Now you must stop distracting me, as I have a paper that needs writing and the ideas you are giving me fit best on the pages of a Harlequin romance novel, not a journalism paper...**

It was almost painful to voluntarily stop our conversation. Alec was like a drug I couldn't get enough of.

**It's probably for the best. I wouldn't want you getting bad grades because you were distracted by my gorgeous face. Good night Magnus. **

I stared at my phone incredulously before replying **good night darling. ** He just _had_ to have the last word.


	10. How to Fall For the Person You Shouldn't

**First off I have to say: OVER 100 REVIEWS! I've never had a story reach that so thank you guys soooooooo much! I really appreciate them all and I do pay attention to what you think. **

**Secondly: I apologize to everyone for not posting this sooner. I REALLY wanted to get it done yesterday, but I woke up with a HORRID cold and felt like shit. So I took lots of cold meds and sleep all day and now you get this a day late. But it's long so hopefully that makes up for it.**

**Thirdly: Soooo... yeah, there's not really hardly any Malec in this chapter. Sorry. It's a Jem/Will chapter (which I know at least two of my readers will like, but I don't know if anyone else will. If you don't, I'm sorry and I should have a Malec chapter up within 2-3 days, but if you do PLEASE let me know so I can decided whether to add them in periodically, like a 1:6 ratio or something). **

**Ok, so enjoy! (I hope) eeeek! **

* * *

**How to Fall for the Person you Shouldn't.**

**Jem's POV:**

I arrived at the hospital a little earlier than I'd meant to, having left the apartment as soon as I'd finished enough of my tea to make it look like I'd actually wanted it. I'd only asked Alec to get it for me so I would have an excuse to get his crush and him alone in the kitchen while Isabelle and I changed up the seating arrangements. The plan had been for me to suggest Magnus go into the kitchen a pick a beverage rather than Alec list them all off, but turns out he didn't need my help after all.

Isabelle looked bored to pieces when I left and I had to assume she wouldn't be long in following me out. I was happy for Alec, though this Magnus fellow didn't seem like his type at all. But who am I to judge? The heart wants what it wants.

At the moment mine was longing for a certain tall, dark, and handsome nurse who was filling in as a PT aide due to staffing shortages.

_Will Herondale_.

It was foolish to harbor fantasies about something happening between us, I knew that, but I couldn't stop myself. And it wasn't like he was making it easy. He was constantly flirting and joking around; I had to keep reminding myself that it was probably just the kind of person he was and he didn't mean anything by it.

He was just _so _attractive. Physically he reminded me of Alec a bit: black hair, blue eyes, sharp features. He was very fit, and tall. But that's where the similarities ended. His attitude and personality were so... Mesmerizing. He's confident (some might say cocky) and sarcastic and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a modest bone in his body. He's also honest, even when others might tell white lies to make the situation seem better; he tells it like it is no matter what. I admire that in both a health care worker and a person.

I walked into the hospital and took the elevator to the third floor where my appointment was. The physical therapy which was part of my treatment was not like typical PT; and until the past few weeks when I'd been assigned a new instructor and had a (sexy) reason to go, I'd skipped most of my appointments.

It wasn't like I was recovering from any traumatic accident or anything, the doctors just wanted to make sure that I did regular exercises that would keep my muscles strong since my illness could cause deterioration. They preferred me to come to the hospital for that instead of an actual gym in case I had some sort of medical emergency that needed immediate attention. Something that my PT trainers in the past hadn't seemed to understand. They would always try to put me through some cut-and-paste routines that clearly were not for someone in the shape I am in.

Working with Will has been different though. He paid attention to my chart and at first he mostly just left me alone to work out as I pleased, helping if I needed a spotter or something. That was until a week and a half ago when he noticed me going through some Tai Chi moves. He said was into the art as well and asked if he could practice and learn from me. I was his only patient since he wasn't really qualified to work with the people who needed more hands on help, and was only there for a few hours at the end of his normal shift every day.

I, of course, said yes, and since then we've practiced together my last four appointments. The most recent of which ending in drinks at the pub down the road and a _lot _of flirting. Rationally, my mind wrote off his flirting as being brought on by the beers and exercise high, but a part of me wondered if that was really the case. Still, it didn't seem at all logical for a man who looked as amazing as he did to be wasting time on someone like me. I who, despite all of my protest against other people saying it, am frail and sick and unlikely to ever be otherwise.

I shook my head to clear the unwelcome thoughts. I mustn't think like that.

I turned them instead back to the present, then silently cursed myself for being early when I realized that if he was still doing his nursing rounds and not here yet all of my time spent getting ready with Isabelle would have been for nothing. I crossed my fingers as the elevator dinged and I stepped off, walking ever so slowly to the east wing.

I needn't have bothered though. Will was already over in the open floor space area where we practice, doing some warm up stretches.

_My God he looks good._

I couldn't help but stare. He was in loose black workout pants and a skin tight gray shirt. His muscles glistened with a light sheen of sweat, indicating that he'd been there for a least a little while.

He looked over to me where I stood staring and smiled widely, his eyes bright like the starry night sky.

"Jem!" He waved me over and I luckily remembered how not to trip over my own two feet.

"Hi Will." I returned the smile and tried not to become self-conscious as he, quite obviously, looked me up and down.

"Lookin' good. Hot date, or did you get all dressed up on my behalf?" I laughed at his bluntness.

"Neither. My roommate's sister came over this morning and decided to play dress up. …Unless you want to ditch our session and go grab some lunch. Then it would be both." There was something about Will's cockiness that was infectious and instead of getting shy over his attention and banter, I played off of it easily.

"Well, she is to be commended on her fine work. And you can have a meal once you've earned it; now go get changed so we can work up an appetite." He winked at me before turning to go back to his stretches.

_Did I just ask him out? _I thought in awe of myself as I headed towards the patient locker rooms. _And did he just accept?! _I distractedly changed my clothes and made my way back to Will, uncertain about what I'd just done, but in no way regretting it.

* * *

**Will's POV:**

I was finding it _extremely_ difficult to concentrate on our workout today. It was the way Jem had looked, so self-assured, when he made that offhand lunch remark. I'm sure he was just playing on the friendly drinks we had the other night, but still... How could I pass up a chance to go out with him again and see if I could make something out of it?

It was probably a bad idea. A _really_ bad idea, dating your patient, but _technically_ I was just filling in here. I had hardly any real medical responsibility for him, unless he passed out or went into cardiac arrest while we were working out, and truthfully, who could be better to date than a nurse when you're sick?

It was hard to remember that Jem was sick sometimes. Aside from being a bit too thin for his frame and the premature silvering of his hair brought on by stress, it was barely noticeable. He certainly didn't act sick, and I found his looks to be more charming than anything else. His hair was distinguished and matched his eyes, which held wisdom beyond his years, and his body, though frail, held a graceful strength that was especially noticeable when he went through the slow, fluid motions of Tai Chi.

I'd been mesmerized by the way he looked the first time I saw him doing it; so much so that he'd caught me staring and I had to make up an excuse about loving the art since I was a kid and wanting to learn it, asking him to show me some things. I found that I really did enjoy it. More so whenever I was doing something wrong and he would have to correct me.

As happened to be the case only a few minutes into our session today. My mind just wasn't wanting to focus on the movements.

"Will, your posture is horrible; you're going to strain something." Jem reprimanded. He came up behind me and placed both hands flat on my back one above the other on my spine. "You're too tense. Take some deep breaths and let your back rest against my hands. Adjust your posture until you feel my palms."

Yeah, this was _not_ helping with the kind of tension I was feeling. I was starting to regret not taking him up on his offer to ditch this and go straight to lunch.

I tried to follow his orders though. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, enjoying the way his cologne mixed with his natural scent. I relaxed a bit and felt my spine curve into his delicate hands, the heat of his touch radiating through my body from the contact point.

"Much better." When he spoke I felt his hot breath on my neck and my body tensed again. "Or not..." He chuckled throatily and I wanted desperately to lean back into him until our bodies were touching and his arms were around me.

_Get a grip, Herondale._

"You're distracting me too much today; we should do something else." I quipped, breaking our contact by turning to face him.

"_I'm _distracting _you?" _He demanded incredulously.

"Yes. You purposefully came here today all dressed up and smelling great to throw me off so you could be better than me."

He laughed so hard for a minute that I thought he was going to need CPR.

"Trust me; I don't have to resort to distraction for me to be better at this than you. It's nothing to be ashamed of," he added when I opened my mouth to complain, "I've just been at it a lot longer than you. I'm sure there are plenty of things you're better at than me." He spoke as if he were reassuring a child and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Probably a very long list of things actually." I removed his hand and crossed my arms. He tried to hide a smile as I did.

"Not that long I'm sure, but there have to be a _few_ I suppose. Everyone has their strengths, and weaknesses." He executed a particularly difficult balancing move and I felt the childish urge to start tickling him so that he'd get off balanced.

Alright, fine. Two could play at that game.

Twenty minutes later I found myself sweaty and out of breath as I dodged the lightning fast strikes of my supposedly extremely ill and infirmed sparring partner. I'm not entirely sure how it started, but one thing had led to another and the verbal sparring had turned physical. I'd held back a lot at first, thinking I might hurt him if I didn't, but I soon realized that if I didn't start to put some effort in _he _was going to hurt _me._

I attempted a combat roll in avoidance, realizing too late that my move had been anticipated. Jem's leg intercepted mine, throwing me off balance and causing me to land with a _thud_ on my back. Jem laughed and in his moment of distraction I caught him by the waist and wrestled him down to the mat, straddling him to keep him in place.

"Who's better now?" I demanded, forearm against his neck. Jem just gave me a look that made me acutely aware of just how much of our bodies were touching and before I knew it, I was being flipped over onto my back in my distraction with Jem on top of me, pressing my wrists into the floor.

For such delicate hands they sure did have a tight grip.

I struggled to no avail and quickly stopped when I realized the only thing it was having an effect on was my libido.

"I'd say we're about even. How about you?" He face was inches from mine and I could see tiny beads of sweat forming on his pallid skin making it glisten. We were both breathing hard, our bodies heaving to the same rhythm.

"I say, we should go grab that bite to eat." I smiled up at him and he released my hands, climbing off of me.

"Sounds good. I think I've earned it." He grinned at me, lending a hand to help me off the floor.

"Definitely. Meet you outside in twenty?"

"Yeah, sure."

I headed off in the direction of the staff locker rooms to get showered quickly and change back into my normal clothes. This certainly hadn't been how I was expecting this day to go, but I had no complaints so far. There was just that tiny voice in the back of my head that kept reminding me that it's a bad idea to get involved with someone I work with, and an even worse idea to get involved with a patient.

I chose to ignore that sensible voice for the time being.

* * *

Jem walked outside moments after I did. His hair was still slightly damp, giving it a darker appearance, bringing out the brightness of his eyes.

"Where to?" He asked when he spotted me.

"Same place as before?" I replied to his question with a question.

"Sure."

We walked off in the direction of the restaurant we had drinks at a few days ago. It was an old fashioned Irish pub that looked like it had seen better days, but had the best food and atmosphere of anything in the area. The walls were covered with classic advertisements for Irish beers and every free piece of wall behind the bar had police patches on it. A lot of the regulars were cops and one of the owners was a retired police captain in the area.

I was glad for the warmth of the pub, as I'd left my jacket in my truck, not expecting to need it, and the thin fabric of my t-shirt was no match for the unusually cold September wind. We grabbed a small table in the back corner (my regular spot) and placed our orders.

Nothing like fried food and beer after a workout.

I had the brief thought that perhaps I should stop lecturing Magnus about his eating habits as I took a long sip from my Smithwick's.

"That was probably the most fun I've had at that hospital...ever." Jem told me after the waitress left. He took a long sip of the more sensible unsweet tea he'd chosen to accompany his not-so-sensible dinner order.

"Me too, come to think of it."

"What made you decide to become a nurse?" Jem asked, making conversation. Last time we'd mostly talked about current events and the other hospital staff.

"Good pay and high job prospects with a minimal amount of time at school compared to other careers." I shrugged, answering honestly.

"That was not the honorable bullshit answer I was expecting." Jem noted with a snicker.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I also do it to save the babies." This response earned an all-out laugh from him.

"Don't you think you'd need to work, oh I don't know, somewhere _near _pediatrics to achieve that goal? Possibly on the same floor, at the very least?"

"Hmm... hadn't thought of that. Perhaps I'll just stick to spending my afternoons with attractive men who try to beat me up." I winked at him, causing a little color to rush to those pale cheeks.

He regained his composure quickly though.

"_Try?_ You must be referring to your afternoons with _other_ attractive men, because there was no try. I did beat you up." It was my turn to loudly guffaw, earning us a few stares from the customers at the bar.

"It was a tie." I pouted, jokingly.

"If that's what helps you sleep at night, we can call it a tie. Though, if I hadn't let you up, you would've been helpless beneath me for as long as I wanted." I _know_ that he hadn't meant that AT ALL the way it sounded, because his brain seemed to process the double meaning about a second after mine. I watched the flush of his cheeks from before turn darker and spread to his ears. It was adorable and intoxicating.

I leaned forward a bit and raised an eyebrow at him. "Was that a proposition or a challenge? Because, either way sounds too good to turn down." I bit my lower lip at the end of the sentence and watched a multitude of emotions cross Jem's face in about a second.

I had a brief moment of panic thinking that maybe I'd taken it a little too far this time, when he recovered and replied. "Perhaps not the best dinner activity; that's better suited for less public venues, wouldn't you agree?"

I laughed and leaned back in my seat. Bantering back and forth with Jem was fun. It was easy, like joking around with Magnus or Jace, but much more suggestive and a little exciting/terrifying. Jem had the most convincing dead pan of anyone I'd ever talked to and there were plenty of times I wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. There were also plenty of times, like right now, that I _hoped_ it was the latter.

"Yes, I suppose I would."

Our food came just then, providing a change of atmosphere and conversational topic. We chatted about his job and studies, and I told him a little about Jace and Cecy while we munched away at our guilty pleasures: fish and chips, fried to a golden perfection.

"I just don't understand," I said waving my fork around as I spoke, "how you handle a premed course load AND work AND all the hospital stuff. I mean, I had a lot on my plate for a couple years trying to get out of my aunt and uncle's house right after high school, but I knew it was short term. Yours is just going to get worse once you sign on for med school!"

"Have you ever thought about going into counseling? You're really great at pep talks." He gibed, putting his napkin on his now empty plate. "The course work isn't that hard, there's just a _lot_ of it. And I really only work on the weekends. My parents still insist on paying for most of my things. I think they feel like they ran me out of the house, so it's still their responsibility to make sure I'm taken care of. And the hospital stuff, well, if it gets in the way I just don't go. Simple as that." He shrugged at the end of his explanation.

"Well, as one of your health care providers, I really must advise you to change your attitude about that last part." Hearing people talk about things like skipping doctor's visits or not finishing their prescriptions always made me want to slip into lecturing RN mode.

"I don't skip the important things, just the extracurricular, overly paranoid parts. Like having me work out there instead of at a gym."

I wanted to argue that it wasn't overly paranoid, it was cautious, but instead I decided the Will approach would probably work better than the nurse Herondale one would.

"But the hospital gym has something that no other one does." I said matter-of-factly. Jem raised his eyebrows, questioning.

"And that would be...?"

"Me." I exclaimed, adding a 'duh' face to emphasize my point.

"Haha, well, I've never missed one of our appointments have I?" I thought about it and shook my head.

"Not yet. And you'd better not, or I would be forced to come find you." I told him sternly.

"But what if I had a really good excuse?"

"There is no excuse good enough to warrant standing up my magnificent self." We were both laughing when the waitress came to pick up our plates and bring us the check.

* * *

Walking back to the parking garage I had the strong urge to grab ahold of the hand that periodically brushed against mine, but the nagging voice in the back of my mind was still doing its best to convince me that I needed to end this before it started. I was so caught up in my battling thoughts that I almost jumped when Jem's voice broke the silence.

"Will, are you even listening to me?" He was leaning against what I assume was his car, with his arms crossed.

"What?"

"That would be a 'no'." He rolled his eyes at me and I rubbed the back of my neck, looking at him sheepishly.

"Sorry, I must've zoned out there for a minute."

"Well that says a lot for my company." He retorted. I immediately felt bad, even though there was clearly sarcasm lacing his words.

"You're exceptional company." That sensible, responsible part of my brain was quickly losing the battle.

Jem smiled and I felt myself moving further away from the land of reason.

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Psh, I am _extraordinary_ company. Trust me, I know, I see me all the time. You just haven't experienced the full effects of my amazing presence yet."

_Dammit. _I was really bad at this whole _not_ flirting thing.

"And what exactly is there left to experience?" There was a challenge in his eyes when he spoke and I knew that if I had any intention of not letting this go any further I needed to walk away now.

I closed the distance between us, leaving just enough room that we weren't actually touching, and looked down upon that beautiful, porcelain face.

"More than you could _possibly _imagine." I placed a finger under his chin to tilt it upwards and met his slightly parted lips with my own; softly at first, just in case I'd taken our flirtatious bantering too far, then with more need when I was met by no resistance. His soft lips opened, granting my tongue permission to taste his sweet flavor.

Gentle fingers slid under the hem of my shirt to caress the musculature of my lower back and stomach, tracing and teasing and making me moan into our kiss. I felt his lips curve into a smile against my mouth and I tensed a little, suddenly aware of just how tight my pants were becoming in one particular region.

Jem's mouth left mine and replaced itself on the soft flesh of my neck, just below my jaw. I tilted my head to give him better access, my hands sliding down his body to rest on his prominent hip bones while his changed position to caress my biceps. Our bodies worked well together, like our sparring match earlier; every movement was anticipated and reciprocated as if we'd rehearsed. Every time I thought to stop the sucking and light nibbling that was driving me crazy, because it was probably going to leave a mark, he would change position, making his way further down my throat, pulling at the neck of my t-shirt as he did. When he reached the area of skin that my shirt would usually cover he didn't bother to stop himself; instead, his teeth sunk into my flesh, deep enough to leave a faint outline, but not pierce through. He did this in unison with pressing his hips firmly into mine.

"Jem..." I moaned as my fingers grasped at his thin hips; I'm sure leaving nail marks in the soft skin.

A hand reached up and tangled itself in my hair, pulling my mouth back to its previous position on his. His lips were warm on mine, our tongues moving seamlessly in a furious, passionate rhythm.

We were both breathing hard, neither wanting to stop to catch our breath, even though we needed to. At long last the need for air overcame our need for one another and we broke apart, panting slightly.

I ran a hand through my somewhat messy hair, speechless for probably the first time in my life.

* * *

**Jem's POV:**

It was a few moments before either of us could collect our thoughts enough to form coherent sentences after that kiss. My mind was still reeling with the shock and intensity of it, but I managed to say a quick "good night" and "see you on Friday". My knees almost have out when he leaned in close and whispered in a low growl that sent shivers up my spine, "remember, you better not stand me up, or I _will_ be forced to come and find you."

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it -like _I _would ever stand _him _up- but instead I put my mouth close to his ear and teased, "maybe that would be more fun." His fingers tightened around my hip momentarily before he replied.

"You'll just have to wait and see..." He kissed me again; quickly, but with an urgency that made me thankful, not for the first time tonight, that I was leaning up against the car. I would surely have collapsed without its support.

He left before I could reply. Which was good because I'd run out of clever things to say, my mind frozen at his words and the way he'd said them.

I texted Alec before returning home, not wanting to walk in on any intimate moments that may be happening in our living room. Of course, knowing Alec, it was equally, if not more, likely that they were innocently conjugating French verbs on opposite sides of the room.

He responded quickly and, noticing the hour for the first time (_when had it gotten so late?),_ I figured Magnus had already left.

I wondered if Alec would want to talk about it. Talking about our love lives was not something we usually did unless one of us needed advice. Alec usually went to Izzy for the little things and me for the questions that were too uncomfortable to pose to a sister. We were both fairly busy anyway, so it wasn't a topic that came up that often.

He had confided in me about Magnus though, and I hoped I was steering him I the right direction. It was clear what Alec wanted; sometimes he just needed to be told to realize it himself.

I was of two minds about telling him about my night. Flirting with my nurse had been one thing, but this? This was downright irresponsible. If someone at the hospital had seen us he was bound to get in trouble, and very likely to be reassigned, if not worse. I definitely didn't want that. Though, if he was reassigned there probably wouldn't be any reason for us to not be able to go out.

_Aside from the fact that he deserves to be in a relationship with someone who can give him so much more than I can. At least more than a few years..._

I shook my head as I parked in our buildings deck. What was I thinking? _Relationship? Years? All we did was kiss. Twice. Sure it was amazing but it was hardly a proposal! We don't even have arrangements to see each other outside of our scheduled appointments. _

I slid the key in our lock and walked in, expected Alec to be off in his room like usual and Magnus to be gone.

_Awkward… _

" Hey Jem." Alec's voice was a little shaky and I could see his signature blush creeping up his neck.

_"_Hey, I, uh, wasn't expecting you to be in here..." I wasn't sure if I should leave or go to my room or what. My mind was already spinning with thoughts of Will and what going to happen next, I didn't think I could be around company right now. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I? Because I can leave again-"

"No, no, I was just about to head out myself." Magnus cut in. He looked happy to leave and I hoped it was just because I'd come home and not anything to do with Alec. He didn't exactly have the highest self-esteem.

He gave Alec a kiss on the cheek, which I took as a good sign, then left.

Alec and I just stood where we were for a few moments. Not saying a word. He was biting his lip and looking at the ground and I occupied myself rubbing the back of my neck and surveying the room. Something black and thin and made of silk sticking out from under the coffee table caught my eye.

"Is that Magnus's tie?" I asked, breaking our silence, as well as the tension in the room. Alec put his hands over his face, but I could hear his laughing underneath them, between groans of mortification.

"I'll take that as a yes." I laughed too, as he carefully picked up the tie and went to set it in his bedroom. "I'm going to assume that means things went well then?" I yelled, walking into the kitchen to pour us two glasses of brandy. I still hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to talk about my day, but I needed to at least _talk. _I needed something else on my mind to distract it from my complicated situation.

Alec came into the kitchen beaming. "Yeah, you could say that." He took the brandy I handed him and took a small sip before turning his attention to rummaging through the cabinets for food.

"So you still like him now that you've gotten to spend some actual time with him?" That had been one of Alec's major concerns; that he was building up an idea of Magnus in his head that the real man wouldn't live up to.

"So far. We talked a bunch, mostly about me though. I guess I'll have to be better at asking his questions on Wednesday." He spoke nonchalantly, but I could tell he was excited.

"Another tutoring session?" I inquired, sitting at the table with my drink.

"Nope. An actual date."

I held my glass up to him and we drank a toast to his good news. The smooth liquid burning a little as it went down.

"How was your day?" Alec asked, never one to take the spotlight for too long. "I didn't expect you back so late. Not that it's not appreciated..." He quickly took another sip of brandy, cutting off his words.

"It was fine. I figured you could use the time to yourselves." I lied. It wasn't a full lie; I'd had every intention of staying out after my session with Will, I just hadn't planned on having company.

I sat in the kitchen with Alec while he had ate dinner and we shared another glass (or two in Alec's case) of brandy, before heading off for a shower and a night of studying around eight. I thought that talking with Alec and drinking a little to knock the edge off would help me focus on anything but the previous few hours, but my mind kept drifting back to the memory of those deep blue eyes hidden by long lashes and how his hot breath felt when he whispered in my ear.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, there it is. Will and Jem. I know it's probably pretty OOC, but I haven't read as much Infernal Devices fanfiction and having only three books to get to know the characters, it's a little difficult for me to get into their heads. But I thought they banter really well together and play off of each other so I tried to incorporate that. So if you hate it, please tell me in the nicest way possible. I am a human and I have feelings, but I can easily keep them to the sidelines in the future if butchered it too much. Thanks :) **


	11. How to be Wooed

**First off, let me say that this took me a while to perfect, and I have rewritten it numerous times and am still not very happy, but I need to get the plot moving along, and I had some good writing to follow this, so bare with me please. I think that the second part to this chapter will be a lot better. I hope. This chapter is very 'inside Alec's head', so there's less conversation and more insight into who he is as a character. It seems kinda stiff to me still, but it is as good as it's gonna get right now. Next chapter will probably be Magnus reflective, and then it's back to interaction and steam/smut and all those fun things. Promise. **

**Secondly, school is about to start back up for me (hence the long time between updates) so I'm probably going to slow down A LOT. It sucks, and I'm sorry, but college takes a lot out of me. I can hopefully get a few chapters finished before it starts so I can stay ahead, but I dunno if that'll work out. It all depends on my fickle brain. **

**Thank you all for reviewing and I'm really happy you enjoyed the Jem/Will scene. I'm looking forward to writing some more of their progressing relationship.**

**And thank you ahead of time for bearing through my rut with me! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am not Cassandra Clare or Kenneth Cole, so yeah, not mine. **

* * *

**Chapter 10 Alec's POV: How to be Wooed.**

Making it _to_ Wednesday wasn't so bad. I was busy with school and work, and Magnus and I texted a lot whenever we had the free time. I was better at talking to him over a text than I was face to face. For one thing, I had time to think out my replies and change them if they sounded too corny or shy or just didn't make any sense at all, for another, it was so much easier for my brain to function when it wasn't being distracted by how damn beautiful that man is. Every time I see him it's all I can think of, leaving very little room for coherent conversation skills. Texting was a better form of communication. Though, it did mean there was zero chance for our conversation to turn into something physical.

Which, maybe that was a good thing as well. We hadn't even been on an actual date yet; I didn't want to come across as being _that_ easy.

Making it _through_ Wednesday, however, was another story altogether. I just had my two morning classes (French 300 at 9 and anthropological theory at 10) and then my internship with Dr. Stevens. Interning for Stevens essentially meant I did the work of a T.A., plus office work and some independent research which he looked over once a week and kept track in my progress report. It was great because I got to experience what being a college professor is like, and I got college credit for it. It didn't pay at all though, so I still had to work on top of interning and taking four other classes. Thus why I told Izzy, and everyone else who brought it up, that I didn't have time to date. It wasn't just an excuse because I didn't want to put myself out there, I barely had enough hours in my day to get 6-8 hours of sleep each night.

Magnus was worth a few more yawns and dark circles under my eyes though.

The classes went by fast and they were important enough that my mind was able to focus on the material and not the impending date. Once 11 A.M. hit though, it just became more and more difficult to think about anything else as the time dragged on.

We'd decided that he would pick me up around eight; apparently he needed 'at least an hour to become magnificent' before dinner, (though I was pretty sure he rolled out of bed in the morning magnificent.) Technically, since _I_ was the one who'd asked _him_ out -which I still can't believe I did- _I_ should have been picking _him_ up (I assume that's how the etiquette goes at least, it's been a while) but he had some specific place he wanted us to go so he said he'd pick me up and it'd be surprise.

I _really_ don't like surprises, but I couldn't turn down his offer, so instead I just asked about what I should wear and tried not to panic.

I'd done a good job of that for a little while, but my bravery was ebbing away with the hours. The longer I sat in Stevens' office, sorting through scantrons and late assignments, the more my body filled with dread.

This was a date. An actual date; just the two of us, eating and talking for some undetermined amount of time at some undisclosed place. How was I going to manage carrying on a normal conversation with him in person, and worse yet, in _public?_ I could barely handle it in my own home where I'm most comfortable. Sure, I got better after a while, but that had a _lot_ to do with the fact that a lot of the sexual tension that was shutting down my brain had been dealt with in the form of very heavy making out. Pretty confident that _wasn't_ going to be happening at a restaurant; and if it did, I don't think that would help my anxiety one bit. In fact, it may kill me.

"You do know that we have a paper shredder downstairs right? You don't have to do it by hand." It was a little after four in the afternoon and Dr. Stevens was sitting at the desk across from mine, looking pointedly at the document in my hands that I had absentmindedly been tearing to shreds. I felt heat rise to my cheeks and starting cleaning up the little bits of paper that had gotten everywhere. Thankfully it hadn't been anything important.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little distracted. Sorry about that." I mumbled, embarrassed that I'd let my personal life interfere with my work. I'd been letting my mind wander to the possible outcomes for the evening for the umpteenth time since I'd begun my work; caught up in what to talk about in the car and what kind of food made you look the best when eating it.

"Why don't you head home after you've finished those scantrons? The late work can wait; the students certainly didn't make an effort to finish it on time, why should you?" He suggested, flippantly.

Stevens was a pretty cool guy when you got to know him. He was in his mid-sixties and very passionate about his work, he just wasn't the most interesting teacher in the world. His lesson plans for his 100-level classes weren't boring on their own, it was just that he'd taught the material so many times over the years and had become rather jaded knowing that most of the time he would be dealing with large class sizes of students that really didn't share his passion for the subject and probably never would. Anthropology 101 was a general education requirement for most majors. He could go off on some pretty fascinating tangents, as I had witnessed many times, but they were really only interesting to people who wanted to do this for a living and never had anything to do with testable material. Still, he was a really nice guy to work with and I had learned a lot from him.

"Are you sure? I'm really sorry about how distracted I've been today." I said sheepishly.

"It's no problem at all. I get like that sometimes on beautiful autumn days too. It makes me long for a long walk and an apple cider with Molly." Molly was his wife, who I'd met a couple of times at a field school last summer. She was one of the lead archaeologists on the project. They were such an adorable couple, anthropology professor and archaeologist; they had so much in common.

Thinking about them made a tiny part of me worry that Magnus and I were too dissimilar to ever develop into anything. He wanted excitement, travel, adventure, I would be perfectly happy to spend the rest of my life cataloging artifacts in the back of a dusty museum. He's loud and colorful, I'm quiet and drab. I tried to push the growing list of opposites out of my head. I shouldn't be condemning things before I'd even given them a chance. It was part of my whole overthinking M.O. I had a good enough imagination to mentally plan out the most likely scenarios (or, more accurately, the most pessimistic) for somewhere between three to five years into my future. This is also one of the reasons I have anxiety. Ever since I was sixteen, I decided that my actions needed to be more careful, more planned. Can you really blame me? Until recently that had been going pretty well for me. Every now and then things get thrown off though and that's when I freak out. Like when Sebastian told me he was moving away.

And when Magnus walked into my life.

He was so much of an unknown factor! I knew hardly anything about him, and yet I was mesmerized by him; couldn't get enough of that tall, slim frame, that caramel skin, those honey-emerald eyes... Hopefully tonight I would have a chance to get to know him better; then I could better decide if there could ever be anything more than a physical connection between us.

I knew from Sunday that I at least felt comfortable around him; comfortable sharing things that I told almost no one. That had to mean something right?

I finished up my work quickly, thanked Dr. Stevens, - not bothering to correct his _false_ presumption that my behavior was caused by the weather- and headed home. Maybe Jem would want to try out some more yoga or go for a jog. I needed some task to relax my mind and it was either that or sketching, and I really didn't want to have charcoal-stained hands for my date tonight.

* * *

When I walked in the door I thought for a moment Jem wasn't home, but as I kicked my shoes off I heard a strange sound coming from the kitchen.

_Was that a _giggle_?_

It sounded like he was on the phone with someone. I cleared my throat and called out "hey Jem," to announce my presence. I didn't want him to think I was eavesdropping on him. He told whoever was on the other end of the phone that he would call them back later and hung up as he walked into the den.

"Hey, I thought you were working today." He looked at me quizzically, taking a seat.

"I finished up early." I didn't feel the need to add that it was because I couldn't keep my mind on my work. "The gym has a yoga class starting in about half an hour, you wanna go?"

The college gym is within walking distance of our apartment, so after Jem agreed without hesitation, he and I got changed and jogged the three blocks there. The class was great; especially the meditation cool down. I felt much more focused and calm afterwards and since it was only 6pm I decided to stay and lift some weights since it'd been a while and I really didn't need more than thirty minutes to take a shower and get dressed for our dinner, and that was if I took my time.

My muscles were already aching slightly, more from the yoga stretching than from the weights, by the time I got home. Jem had left before me and was in his room, so I hopped straight in the shower, quickly scrubbing away all the sweat and grime from my gym time. I towel dried my hair (running my fingers through it, exhausting my styling expertise) and applied some deodorant, deciding as an afterthought that some cologne would be nice. I had to rummage around a bit before locating my almost empty bottle of Kenneth Cole _black_. Like Jem, I hadn't bothered to wear the stuff in a while.

Returning to my bedroom, I managed to find the pieces of clothing I'd already decided on wearing.

I'd asked Magnus what sort of restaurant I should be dressing for and he'd helpfully replied, "nothing too fancy. You can wear jeans but only if they're not faded and don't have holes. Oh and bring a jacket; it's supposed to be cold out tonight."

So I'd decided to go with my really nice pair of dark blue jeans. They were practically new since I'd only worn them a handful of times since purchasing them. They clung to my body a little too tightly for my liking, but I'd gotten a lot of compliments the few times I'd worn them, so I figured I'd give 'em a shot for tonight. As for my shirt, I decided to go with a simple black button down, again, a little more fitted than I usually like, with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I took my leather jacket out of the closet to bring along in case it got as cold as the weatherman had predicted. At this rate, we were going to be in for a very cold winter. It was only September and already the days seemed reluctant to rise about 60 degrees.

I grabbed a pair of socks and went to the den to watch some TV while I waited for Magnus.

I checked my phone. 7:46.

I had a new message as well. Magnus and I had been texting in between reps at the gym, even though he was supposed to be paying attention in class and I told him as much. He dismissed my concern, telling me he'd already read the lecture chapter and was taking notes on anything he didn't already know. Which was nothing.

The man certainly couldn't be accused of being modest.

I opened the new message, a smile creeping upon my lips like it did every time I saw a text from Magnus.

He was letting me know that he would be over soon and reminded me to bring a jacket again.

I put my socks and shoes on and nervously flipped through the channels, not really noticing anything that was on. I was nervous and excited. I couldn't wait to see him again.

After what felt like ages, but was really only eight minutes, the doorbell rang and I jumped off of the couch eagerly.

_Calm down. _

I took a deep breath and turned the TV off with a _click _then went to go open the door.

He smiled when he saw me and the effect of his wide grin coupled with the styled, lightly glittered hair and sparkling face made him seem almost angelic. Or perhaps fae-like. Either way, he looked like a magical creature: too amazing and special for human eyes to behold.

He was wearing a long sleeved golden shirt made out of some material in between cotton and silk, which matched the gold make up on his eyes. His pants were white and _very_ tight and he had a dark brown jacket in his arms.

We could not have looked more different if we'd tried.

"Well, aren't we a dichotomy." I laughed, nervousness melting away at the sight of him. He looked puzzled for a moment until I made a hand motion indicating what I was wearing and what he was wearing. He laughed as well. It was a beautiful sound.

"As they say, opposites attract. Now come on, don't want to be late for our reservation." He took me by the hand (an action that made my body suddenly feel as if there was zero need for my jacket whatsoever) and led me to his candy apple red Mazda 3.

It was unexpected when he opened the door for me and while he walked across to his door I put my hands up to my cheeks to try to cool the blush away, removing them before he could see. Even his slightest actions, probably things he did for everyone and didn't think about, made me feel special. I wasn't used to it and it gave me butterflies, but I definitely didn't want it to stop.

He drove us about thirty minutes outside of the city. We talked about our days- I left out the part where I was so preoccupied thinking about him that I couldn't work- and about his French class. He and Izzy had started meeting up for coffee after class each day to practice and we had plans for the three of us to meet again Sunday as well.

It made me more than a little uncomfortable thinking about Magnus spending so much time with my little sister. She had a LOT of dirt on me...and photographs.

We finally arrived at a large ornate looking building and parked. I stared out the windshield for a moment, caught in awe.

The restaurant was at least three stories high with beautiful wrought iron work on the windows and door. The siding was painted gold and had ivy growing up it in numerous places. In large cursive golden letters the sign above the door read: _The Institute and Gardens._

The sound of my door opening and the burst of cool air pulled me out if my reverie.

"Come on," Magnus held his hand out to me and helped me out of the car, "it looks even better on the inside."

He led us inside and over to the hostess podium. While he talked with the girl there I looked around. This was the most beautiful, decorative restaurant I'd ever been to, except for maybe the ones I'd been to with my parents for birthdays when we were children.

The lights were made to look like torches lining the walls held in wrought iron fixtures and there was a large chandelier above our heads in the entranceway. A spiral staircase led to the upper floors, and there was an old fashioned elevator a little ways to our left.

I was studying one of the large oil paintings on the wall when Magnus grabbed my hand (which seemed to be his favorite method of getting my attention) and started following our hostess to our table. We were on the top floor. My sore muscles threatened to give out on me after the second story, but I managed to make it all the way up; hopefully without Magnus noticing my difficulty. I expected us to be seated at one of the tables in the small dining room, but the hostess walked right passed them all, opening the large floor to ceiling glass doors that led out to what I'd assumed was a balcony.

It was a mixture of a green house, balcony, and dining room. All of the walls and ceiling were made of glass and some of the roof panels were opened to get a better view of the stars, which looked magnificent. The lighting was low, a few "torches" by the door and candles lit on each of the tables. The tables were low to the ground, and instead of proper chairs there were large fluffy looking cushions to sit on. A few of the places had square columns behind them with cushions propped up against them to act as chair backs. And the entire place was covered in the most beautiful smelling and looking flowers. There were even a few butterflies fluttering around.

"Did you have any table preference? As you can see we don't usually have a lot of guest out here this time of year." Our hostess asked.

I looked around at the tables and realized we were the only people out here. We could literally have any seat we wanted.

Magnus apparently had a preference though as he led us to a corner away from the door. The table was surrounded by beautiful purple-blue flowers and was directly under an open roof panel. It was also the darkest spot in the room.

The hostess handed us our menus and left, promising our waitress would be with us shortly.

"This place is incredible." I told Magnus, looking up at the constellations in awe.

"It's really out of the way, so most people don't even notice it's here, it's mostly just locals. I stumbled upon it a few years back and fell in love. Especially with this part." He motioned around to indicate the garden area where we sat. "I only ever eat out here; even when it's cold."

I turned my gaze to him. He was smiling contentedly, smelling one of the flowers near him.

"I suppose that explains the dozen or so reminders to bring a jacket." I quipped jokingly.

"Yeah, I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but I also didn't want you to be miserable and freezing. That wouldn't have been a very nice first date."

"I dunno..." I shrugged and looked up again, avoiding his eyes. It was easier to talk when I did that. "If I'd forgotten my jacket you would've had an excuse to warm me up..." I could feel heat creeping up my neck and my ears felt hot, but the only light came from the candle on the center of our table and I hoped that wasn't sufficient for him to notice.

It was so hard for me to be _that _guy. The one who's confident and cocky and says what he's thinking, even if it might end in rejection. Even knowing that Magnus was interested in me, I was still nervous about making comments like that.

"Hmm... That is a good point. Maybe I can convince our waiter to turn the AC on." He winked and smiled at me, making me feel a little better about trying to be bold.

A small brunette in all black with a golden apron brought our drinks over and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Sarah, I'll be your server tonight," she put on a fake smile for us that changed to a genuine one as she seemed to recognize Magnus. "Magnus! It's been awhile since we've seen you around here. How have you been?"

"Busy with school. I haven't really had the time to come by."

"I should've known it was you when they told me I had this table. Your cute guest threw me off. I'm used to serving you at a table for one."

She winked at me when she described me as his "cute guest". She seemed a little nosey for my liking, but Magnus didn't seem to mind. He must've been used to it because he just laughed and nodded.

And I do have to admit that a little part of me was happy to hear that he hadn't brought other dates here.

"Shall I get you your usual wine?" She asked him after they'd exchanged a few more pleasantries.

"Yes. A bottle please. And the bruschetta appetizer."

She nodded and hurried off.

"A _bottle_ of wine? Magnus, you know I'm not old enough to drink." I said once she was out of earshot. He rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"A technicality that doesn't bother your sister." He pointed out. "Besides, the alcohol will knock off the chill and the flavor matches so brilliantly with the bruschetta. Just give it a try. I promise you it will be heavenly."

I agreed I would try it, even though I really don't like wine very much, and perused the menu with Magnus giving me helpful suggestions about what choices would go best with our wine. I had no idea that one's choice of beverage could so greatly affect the taste of one's meal, but according to Magnus, it made a big difference.

Our waitress, Sarah, returned soon and sat our appetizer down and a wine glass in front of each of us. She opened the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, pouring it delicately. "Can I take your orders, or do to need a few more minutes to decide?"

We placed our orders, I'd decided on a crab cake dish while Magnus chose sushi (yuck), and she left.

"Here," Magnus picked up a piece of the tomato and feta covered bread and held it up to my mouth. I took a small bite (not that I had a choice); it tasted amazing and very fresh. I finished chewing and took a sip from the glass he was now holding up to me. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor combination. The wine was a little citrusy, though not overpoweringly so, and it paired well with the sharp feta and acidic tomatoes.

"Well? Do you trust my expertise now?"

"My skepticism was misplaced." I admitted and he looked smugly pleased with himself.

Our appetizer conversation remained superficial, even though I had a million things that I wanted to learn about him. I wasn't sure how to ask without sounding like I was playing 20 questions or just being completely random. Luckily, he shifted to more substantive topics when our meals came, asking about where I grew up.

"I lived about 25 miles from where I live now, up in Idris, for my entire life until I was sixteen. My parents still live there with my little brother Max. What about you?"

"My family moved around a lot when I was younger; I was born in Indonesia, where my mother is from, but my parents moved to Spain when I was about five. We came to the states a few years later and lived in the same neighborhood as my current roommate, Will, and then I moved in with him last year."

"Do you still see you parents?" I asked, curious as to whether he had a better relationship with his than I did with mine.

"No. How's your dinner?" He replied shortly. I wanted to ask why not; after all, I'd told him all about my parental situation the other day. It was only fair. But I could tell it was something he didn't want to talk about so I kept my questions to myself. Hopefully he'd feel comfortable enough to share one day.

"It's delicious. Et vous?"

He grinned at my accidental slip into French. Sometimes it was hard to turn off on days I had class.

"Perfection."

I wanted to get the subject back on Magnus, taking care to avoid the topic of family, so I asked about his roommate, who he told me was an RN working at the city hospital, and his cat (who sounded much nicer than the monster I had to live with). I thought about turning the topic to exes, but quickly thought better of it. I have jealousy issues. I know this about myself and it's something I've been working on, but I still find that it's best the less I know about that area of someone I like's life the better. As long as I'm not going to be surprised with a wife or a long lost kid, I can handle not knowing. It's easier to pretend that, like me, he's only ever been in one other relationship and he never talks to that person anymore.

(Yes, I understand that I'm crazy.)

Instead of continuing on our discussions of the past, we talked about likes and dislikes as we finished up our dishes and ordered dessert.

When our "death by chocolate" brownie a la mode came, Magnus moved to sit next to me. The new closeness coupled with my two glasses of wine was suddenly making it very warm. I took my jacket off and took a sip of the large ice water I'd ordered with dessert.

The lustful look in the golden-green eyes that were slowly scanning my body gave me the feeling that the conversation portion of our evening was just about over.

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**A/N: I know I made it a little weird with Magnus taking Alec to "the institute" and Alec living in indris, but it just kinda worked out that way so I kept it in. Hopefully you guys don't mind the little diversion from the facts, considering this is AU. I still kept their whole upper class/lower class thing accurate so don't shoot me. **

**I may go back and change this chapter up a little bit in the future, just add some more tidbits to make it better in places etc. I'll make an announcement if I do though. **


	12. How to Resist Your Urges

**I am soooooooo much happier with this chapter than I was with the last one, so instead of waiting to post it I'm doing it now because you guys deserve a better chapter than my last one. I have no idea when I will get a chance to write another one, because I have classes starting on Thursday and I am going to see the Mortal Instruments movie on Wednesday (eeeeeekkkkkk!). Anyway, I love you all, you are amazing and I hope you enjoy :)**

**Warning: Heavy m/m making out to follow, don't read if you don't like, but if you do like: I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it ;)**

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**Chapter 11: Magnus POV How to Fight Your Urges.**

Alexander looked amazing in black. It suited him without screaming "goth" or "emo" and it complimented the pallor of his skin and made those blue orbs shine. His sleeves were rolled up a little, enough that I could see the spidery bluish veins that stood out against his ghostly flesh.

"Vous êtes mignon." I said, repeating the new vocabulary I'd learned this week. He flashed those pearly white teeth, turning slightly to face me more.

"I think we're on more familiar terms than that aren't we?" He was referring to my use of "vous" instead of "tu".

_Way to ruin a moment with technicalities darling_.

He must've seen the change in my expression because he unexpectedly placed his hand on mine on the table.

"Tu es un bel homme et je voudrais t'embrasser."

I was pretty sure that he called me beautiful, but I had no idea what the other words meant. He knew it too because he was smiling at me sneakily, like he'd gotten away with something.

"That's not fair; I haven't learned what that means yet."

"Maybe I'll teach you, later." He was doing that whole 'not looking at me while he says something bold' thing that is both incredibly adorable and annoying at the same time.

If there was ever a motivation to do my French homework, this boy was it.

I scooped up a piece of fudge smothered brownie and ice cream and held it to his lips, granting him the privilege of the first bite.

His eyes closed as his lips wrapped around the metal spoon; exciting me more with that one unintentional look of pure pleasure than the most well trained seducer.

He caught me staring while he licked the remnants of chocolate from his lips. Instead of the blush I'd become accustom to expecting, he bit his lip, more playfully than nervously, and picked up his own spoon. He trailed it along the outside of the brownie, scooping up some hot fudge and pecans. He brought the utensil to my lips, which parted willingly, but took it away before I could have a taste, watching my reaction as he savored the delicacy.

Alec reached for a napkin to wipe away the small bit of chocolate that trailed down the corner of his mouth, but before could, I leaned forward and tasted the decadence on his flesh with my tongue.

He appeared surprised at first, but soon our lips were touching and he was moaning softly into our kiss, raking his nails across my scalp, pulling me in deeper.

Just as suddenly as it started though, it stopped. The hand that hand been sensually sliding down my chest stopped and pressed flat against it, pushing me back.

I was about to protest when he turned his head a violently sneezed into the crook of his elbow.

"Bless you." I said when I'd recovered from the shock, chuckling a little.

"Sorry, allergies." He sniffled a little and looked back at me, embarrassed.

"Oh no, being allergic to my kisses does not bode well for this relationship." We both laughed and he placed his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry; I should've asked if you were allergic to the flowers before I brought you to eat in a greenhouse. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't apologize! This has been the most romantic date I've ever been on. Well worth a sneeze or two. Hell, this evening would be worth it even if I was struck with an uncontrollable sneezing fit and had to take an entire box of Claritin to stop." He laughed and nuzzled his head against my neck.

"Really? You're not just saying that?" I'd spent since Sunday planning every single detail trying to make this the perfect evening; I hated the thought that an oversight like that could've ruined it for him. This place was so special to me, like my very own secret garden, Will hadn't even been here, though I had told him about it. It was just too romantic to bring a friend to, and too special to take just anybody.

But Alec...

Alec wasn't 'just anybody'. He was special. If there was anyone in the world who I wanted to share this with, it was him.

"Cross my heart." He made an X with his finger over his heart, the casually sat his hand down to rest...on my thigh. The subtle noviceness with which he did these sorts of moves excited my body into response much more than it should have. It was just so damn attractive.

I tilted Alec's face up towards mine, caressing the warm, rosy cheek with the pad of my thumb. Leaning down I brushed his lips with mine, softly asking permission to go further. His lips parted against mine and his tongue slowly and tentatively slid along them. His thumb was lightly massaging my thigh, possibly absentmindedly, and it, coupled with the pace of our kiss, was starting to ignite an ache in the pit of my stomach and making me wish we were somewhere more private.

When he took my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping slightly, before sucking on it in a slow, deliberate manner I thought I was going to lose the little self-control I had left right then and there. I moaned into his mouth and felt him shudder at it, which only served to heighten my own arousal. The hand that wasn't relentlessly teasing my thigh traced the line of my collarbone with calloused fingertips, stroking each curve and dip, up my neck, across my jaw, past my ear (which turned out to be an incredibly sensitive area, who knew?) until finally coming to rest in my gelled spikes, which by now were probably a tangled mess.

My heart rate was raising quickly, pulse thrumming in my ears. It was becoming too hot for my jacket and I effortlessly shrugged it off, the fabric pooling behind me, instantly forgotten. Just as his mouth opened wider, taking on my tongue eagerly, stroking it with his own, he pushed away again and turned fast to sneeze once more into his elbow.

"I think I might _actually _be allergic to your kisses. I wasn't sneezing before you came over here." He joked, more relaxed now than before.

"I can go back if you'd like." I made to get up, but his hand shot out and fingers wrapped themselves in the fabric of my shirt, pulling me roughly back.

"No, stay." It was an order, not a request, and the forcefulness of his words made my heart skip a beat and my pants tighten uncomfortably.

_Gods I wish we weren't in a restaurant. _I thought for the hundredth time in the past twenty minutes.

"Mmnhkhy." I managed to reply, hypnotized by the fierce hunger in those endless blue eyes. He released his grip on my shirtfront, fingertips electrifying the skin they contacted as he trailed them along my collarbone. His lips came to meet them with warm, wet kisses. I tilted my head back to give him easier access and ran my fingers through his hair, guiding his mouth to the areas that felt the best.

"Gods Alec," I moaned as his teeth grazed my Adam's apple. I was growing more deliriously aroused by the second, but I had the presence of mind left to reach across the table and place one of our glass coasters over the candleholder at the center. The flame extinguished slowly and, though there were still lights from the wall sconces, it was almost dark where we sat.

I pulled Alec's face away from my neck and our mouths met once more, this time all semblance of delicacy flying out the window. I pushed him up against one of the large columns behind us and climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. He made a sound as if to object, so I pulled back, pausing still on his lap, my hands on his chest. He was breathing hard and looked like he was arguing with himself mentally. Lust won out after a moment though and pulled me back against him, a hand sliding underneath my shirt to tenderly, but firmly, press against my back.

_Fuuucccckkkk. _

I wanted him. I wanted to touch him and feel his touch on me. Being in the position I was in made me acutely aware of just how aroused we both were and it was killing me to not do something about it.

I moved my hips, pressing against him harder, and he moaned into my mouth, fingernails scraping my back. I didn't care, in fact, I wanted it. I pressed again and heard the word "fuck" escape his lips before recapturing them with my own.

By the gods how I wanted to make him scream that; make him scream my name... I knew from Sunday that he wasn't ready for that yet, but fuck I wanted it. He may have never even been with another man before. I could tell he was a little unsure of everything, but I didn't know whether it was nerves from not being with someone in a while or not being with someone _ever_. If it was the latter then I would _have_ to learn how to control myself better in the future. I couldn't rush him into it. But damn did I want to.

There were of course _other _possibilities; other things we could do...

The hand stroking my back moved lower to cup my ass, surprising me and making me moan loudly. His bold display prompted my body into an action that I (probably) would have been able to resist doing without. I deepened our kiss while lifting up slightly on my knees so that there was more space between us, then I slid my hand between his legs, brushing against his hips and thighs and nothing else. His breath caught and the nails that had scraped my back before now clutched at it even harder. I imagined I would have crescent shaped marks there afterwards, but I didn't care. My hand moved again from hip to thigh, only slightly brushing the edge of his arousal. Another strangled moan and a trembling hand took hold of my wrist.

"Magnus," Alec breathed, leaning his head back against the pillar for support. "We... You, can't. N-not here. We should stop."

My mind wanted desperately to ask if he would've let me keep going if we were back on his couch, but I wasn't sure I could handle the answer either way, so I rallied up all of my willpower and climbed off of him. The least experienced person was always in charge, that was my rule. So if he wanted to stop, we would stop; not matter how much it was killing me.

I ran a hand through my hair, hoping to make it look more like a deliberate mess than a frenzied one, and tried to calm my breathing. Alec was still leaning against the wall, eyes closed, also taking slow deep breaths.

The ice cream had become a melted pool of milky sweetness around the forgotten brownie by the time we calmed down enough to look at each other once more.

Our waitress Sarah was, thankfully, an excellent and observant waitress who'd not been back since bringing the brownie over and only came to clear out plates when she was sure we were done with both the PDA and dessert, not mentioning the extinguished candle or the fact that I was now sitting in a different spot. She would be getting a _very_ large tip.

I slipped her my credit card when I handed her the uneaten meal, suspecting that Alec would give me a hard time about paying if I let her bring the bill. Checking the time on my phone, I mentally cursed the universe.

_Why does tomorrow have to be Thursday?!_

I had to get up by seven at the latest and it was already pushing midnight. Not that the events that had kept us out late weren't worth it, because they definitely were. I glanced over at Alec, who was stifling a yawn.

When Sarah brought the receipt back he protested as I had imagined he would, but there was nothing he could do about it, so I promised he could treat next time and we left.

We listened to music on the ride back. He seemed lost in his thoughts and I was still having a hard time thinking straight after what'd happened in the restaurant.

When we arrived at his building he pleasantly surprised me by taking my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine as we walked up the stairs to his apartment. He still seemed distant, and I thought he was going to go in without saying a word, but he turned to face me after getting his keys out of his pocket, before unlocking the door.

"I had an amazing time tonight." He said, smiling.

"Me too. Sorry, again, about all the flowers."

He laughed. "Don't worry about it. You more than made up for causing a few sneezes." He blushed a little and stepped closer, tilting his head up for a good night kiss.

I tried to keep things soft and light, not wanting to get worked up again. His arms wrapped around my neck and I rested my hands innocently on his hips while our mouths met in a slow, passionate kiss.

Kissing Alec was like having a conversation. There was so much conveyed in his movements. The varying pressures, the sucking, the biting, every bit of it spoke to my soul. Before at the restaurant, he'd been speaking of desire and wanting, right now it was different. It was pure happiness and appreciation and connection. I could feel him getting as lost in me as I was in him. It was overwhelming.

The last couple of years had been littered with one night stands and relationships that were lucky to make it to a month. Before that, was teenage lust and immaturity. This was different. Sure there was lust; by the gods was there lust. But there was so much more I wanted from Alec. So much more I wanted to give him. I'd barely spent any time with this boy and already I was planning second and third dates, thinking about how he and Will would get along (and more importantly, how he and Chairman Meow would get along), picking out Christmas gifts... I was more than smitten and it scared the shit out of me.

I broke our kiss, my thoughts giving me too much anxiety to continue. I tried not to show it though, and he didn't seem to notice. He bit his lip, looking like he was trying to muster up the courage to say something.

"Do you- would you like to come in..." His words were shaky, but his gaze never faltered from mine. If only he'd asked ten minutes ago before I'd had time to think.

He was caught up in the moment and probably still a little buzzed from the few glasses of wine. Plus, it would almost feel like he was just fulfilling an obligation if we did something after this date. I knew he felt bad about ending out make out session at The Institute and I wasn't entirely sure whether that was because he wanted to continue or he just wanted to give me what I wanted. Until I was sure he wasn't giving in because of my unintentional pressuring, I couldn't accept his invitation.

Not to mention the very real, very lame, factor that I had to be awake for school in a few hours.

His face fell at my lack of reply and I realized too late that it'd been a while since he'd spoken. I quickly tried to backpedal.

"It's not that I don't want to, because _trust me_ I want to; it's just, I have class really early tomorrow and my teacher is a bastard about absences or being late." I tried to sound convincing; it really was breaking my heart to walk away.

"Oh, I understand, it's cool. I'll, uh, see you soon?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around, avoiding eye contact.

"_Very. _If that's what you want." I reached out and touched his cheek, wanting to repair any damage my refusal had caused.

"It is. If it's what you want too." He looked up at me through those long lashed and I swear of I had a weaker constitution I would've fainted.

I leaned in and gave him a short, simple kiss and replied, "there's nothing I want more. Sweet dreams my Alexander." I kissed him again, feeling him smile into it.

"Good night Magnus." He unlocked his door and I made my way back to me car, feeling equal parts proud and frustrated with myself for walking away.

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**French translation: Magnus tells Alec he's cute and Alec says that Magnus is beautiful and he wants him to kiss him. **

**So yeah, Magnus is being quite the gentleman in this chapter :) **


	13. How to Be Cheered Up

**So, I've started my first week of classes and have written a TON of fanfiction instead of reading the 40471083740831601 pages of texts that I am supposed to. This is a problem for me, but a gift for you all :p So yeah, I'll probably be updating again soon (like in a week). **

**It's gonna start to get a little steamy in a few chapters, and I may actually have to change the rating unless I tone it down; which, if you've read any of my other stuff, you know is not very likely. **

**Anyway, thank you all for reviewing as always! I love reading what you think :) **

**(and there will be another Heronstairs chapter after 1-2 more Malec one's for those of you who are pining.) **

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**Chapter 13 Magnus POV: How to be Cheered Up. **

The next morning came painfully early. I hadn't been able to get to sleep until excruciatingly late due to my own thoughts and my roommate's loud and obnoxious angsty music blaring through the walls. I could only assume that whoever'd left that hickey on his neck had more recently left him in this state of disarray. I hadn't seen him since I got home and he'd been fine when I left, cheerful in fact, so something must've happened while I was away. I decided I would ask him about it after I got some sleep and he had time to chill out, otherwise we would both probably just end up bitching at each other. That tends to not be very helpful.

I'd managed to tune the music out quickly enough, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Alec. Admittedly, my thoughts had in drifted that direction quite a lot in the shower, but now they were more PG and asking questions for which I didn't have an answer.

Like: what was I getting myself into? Alexander was gorgeous, intelligent, and above all, focused; he knew what he wanted out of life and he was on the way to getting it. And yet, he was so inexperienced when it came to romantic things, having put that area of his life on hold to pursue his academics. It was like he was my mirror, and as much as I would have liked to imagine that that meant we were a perfect match, I knew better. Besides, I wasn't the relationship type. Did I want to change that?

Could I suspend my need to instant gratification long enough to wait for him? Was he worth it?

I didn't need to think about the answer to that question for very long. Yes, he was worth waiting for. And I was completely _willing_ to do it; I just wasn't sure if I _could_. Monogamous relationships and I haven't really gone together in a while; possibly ever. The longest relationship I've ever been in only lasted six months, and even that was difficult to maintain. People just get so...boring after a while. Once the novelty had worn off and the frequent sex dwindles what's left? Not much, in my experience. Granted, despite the clichéd-ness of it all, I did feel like it was different with Alec. While there was certainly no shortage of sexual attraction, I also felt as though he was someone I could see myself becoming friends with. It felt natural to be around him; I _wanted_ to get to know him.

That scared me a little bit. I didn't want this to be another short term relationship that left me with nothing to show for it, and I really didn't want to hurt him. I would never intentionally, but I have no control over my relationship attention span. What if my infatuation faded out after only a few weeks? What then?

I eventually fell into restless sleep, no more sure about my situation than I had been when I'd gotten home, waking a few hours later to attend class before heading to work.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

I work at a retail store that caters to the alternative crowd, thus September and especially October, being the month of Halloween, start the busy season for us. I had expected to be given a few more hours than my usual 8-12 a week, but when I walked on the back room to clock in and saw my schedule I nearly flipped out.

"What the hell is up with the new schedule?" I asked my manager, a petite blonde who used to be a coworker until recently. She and I'd had a fling back when I started here almost two years ago, but weren't compatible at all. Mainly, she was a bitch and I was stubborn; we'd both gotten bored and fed up after a very short time frame. Still, we'd put our personal dramas behind us enough to get our jobs done, and have a few one night stands when one or both of us was desperate and horny enough.

"Tess is on vacation this week so you're getting her hours. I thought you'd be happy about it. You're always bitching that I don't put you on enough." She explained, filing her long blood red nails into a point.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the hours Camille, I just wish you'd asked me about it first. I'm essentially working every minute I'm not in class or asleep." She was right that I generally wouldn't have minded, but I had been hoping to go out with Alec again soon and this schedule pretty much ensured that that wouldn't be happening until at least next Friday.

"We'll we don't have anyone else to cover it, so you'll just have to suck it up. Now hurry up and clock in and get on the register." Camille's attention went back to her manicure, missing the death glare I gave her as I swiped my card to clock in.

I took a picture of my schedule and sent it to Alec, not wanting him to think I was making up excuses to not see him. I had enough of my own doubts floating around in my head at the moment, I didn't need his there too.

**One of my coworkers is on vacation this week so guess who got ALL of her hours? **

**Wow that's...a lot. I hope you don't have any tests this week. **It was cute that he always put school work ahead of any other concerns. -_or had seeing me again just not crossed his mind?_-

**I don't. More importantly though, now I don't have any free time to see you until next Friday :'( **

Subtlety has never been my strong suit. I'd made up my mind this morning that I was going to give this my all, whether I ended up getting hurt or not. There are some opportunities in life that you just don't ignore, despite the laundry list of insecurities you may or may not have.

I took my place at the register and waited for his reply, keeping an eye out for customers. There were a few girls browsing the playboy costumes and giggling, but other than that we were dead. It was only 6:00 on a Thursday evening after all.

**:( **was his only reply. Maybe he wasn't as upset about it as I was. I fished, deciding that if his next reply had less than three words I would just give up and wait for him to make the next move; knowing full and well that that would likely mean nothing further would ever happen. I wasn't going to lose anymore sleep over this boy if he had no intentions of pursuing this.

**Would you want to go out Friday night? Or sometime next weekend? I have off Saturday as well. **

One of the giggling girls came up to the register and asked about our return policy and accessories. It took about fifteen minutes to help her find what she was looking for; all the while I was dying to check my phone to see what Alec had said. Finally, I rang her and her friends up and looked down at my blinking phone. _New message_

**Friday is perfect, I get off work at 6. **

I breathed a sigh of relief when I read it.

"Magnus, get off your phone, you know Corporate likes to drop by during October." Camille snapped, finally emerging from the back room. She was dressed the part in tight black pants, a lacy black and red corset and red pumps. Not the best choice in foot wear for an eight hour shift at a register, but hey, not my feet. Her blonde hair flowed in ringlets, cascading down her bony shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll put it away." I texted Alec quickly to let him know I wouldn't be able to reply much, but he could text me all he wanted, and slid it back into my pocket.

"So who's the lucky girl? Or is it guy this week?" _Jesus she's annoying_.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I busied myself with fronting the glow sticks on one of the end-caps near the register.

"Oh come on, I saw that giddy smile when you checked your phone. What's the name?" She was like a dog with a bone, but really it was none of her business and I didn't want to talk about it to her. Everything was too new and up in the air at the moment.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm bored and it's obviously making you uncomfortable." She cackled maniacally, walking over to stand too close to me. "Come on, we used to be so _close_," she was inches away from my body, her bright red lips pouting up at me. "You can tell me anything." I felt her hands on my hips and quickly stepped back. I was _not _falling into her trap.

"Cut it out Camille, you know I hate it when you pull that shit."

"Alright, I give up. I'll be in the back if you need me. Or _want _me..." She laughed again and retreated.

* * *

We got really busy, so it wasn't until two hours later when the hordes died down and I reached into my pocket to see if Alec had texted me that I realized my phone wasn't there. I searched under the counter, in case I had sat it down and forgot, but I couldn't find it. I dialed my number from the store phone, realizing after I did that I'd turned it to silent for work so that would be useless.

Then I heard Camille's laughter from the back room and my chest filled with rage. That sneaky _bitch. _

_"_Took you long enough." She said as I rounded the corner. I snatched my phone out of her hand and immediate checked my texts to Alec, hoping to every god I could think of that she hadn't been evil enough to text him. So far as I could tell, she hadn't.

"This is _my _property! You have no right to steal things out of my pockets!" I screamed at her.

"Jesus Magnus, calm down. It's just a phone. I didn't steal your credit cards and go on a shopping spree. I just wanted to see who you were talking to. He's pretty cute too, I don't know why you were so ashamed to tell me about him. I mean, sure he's a baby, but I bet he'll catch on fast." She winked at me and I had to fight the urge to slap her. As much as I hated it, she was my boss and I liked this job; I also liked the idea of _not_ being charge with assault.

"Fuck you Camille. Leave my things alone or I'll tell district about how you open the store an hour late every Sunday because you're too hung over to get out of bed."

"So grumpy today." She mumbled as I stormed back to the register with a death grip on my phone. I immediately changed my password to something that she hopefully wouldn't be able to hack so easily.

That was the problem with spending two years working with and/or dating someone, you kind of become easy to predict.

The rest of the evening went by quietly, with Camille staying in the back room as much as possible and me manning the front. It picked up again around 9, an hour before close, then died down enough to get some pre-close cleaning done so I was home by 11:10.

I grabbed a bite to eat and a quick shower (possibly the quickest I've ever taken because I was afraid if I spent more than five minutes in the hot water I would fall asleep in there) and climbed into bed.

Alec hadn't texted me much the rest of the night, not improving my mood one bit. I just wanted to go to bed and end this wretched day, so I sent him a short **good night darling, **and passed out without waiting for a reply.

* * *

The next morning I woke up dreading another horrid day of classes and Camille, but when I checked my phone my sour mood immediately turned sweet with the four messages I'd received in my sleep.

**Good night. Are you ok? You haven't been very chatty tonight. **

**I know, you were at work and busy, but if I said/did something to upset you please let me know. **

**Ok, well I guess you've fallen asleep now. Sweet dreams Magnus. **

**Good morning. Hope you slept well :) it's beautiful today, I wish I didn't have to spend it all indoors. **

I felt a little bad about falling asleep before I could reply, but I also felt a little vindicated as well. Phones work two ways; he could've texted me more while I was working. I replied before changing clothes.

**Good morning. I had a pretty shitty day yesterday. My boss is a bitch and I had to spend almost five hours with just me her and the customers. And you know, you can text me as much as you want. You don't have to wait for me to text you. **

My phone buzzed while I was fixing my hair and makeup; I read his reply once I was done.

**I'm sorry you had such a bad day :/ maybe today will be better. And about texting you, I don't want to annoy you... **

I laughed out loud at his adorableness.

**It's not annoying. I like knowing that you're thinking about me. **

I poured myself a bowl of cereal and a saucer of milk for the Chairman who was wrapping himself around my feet and meowing loudly. It looked as if Will had forgotten to feed him this morning and he was letting me know about it. He would likely let Will know about it when he got home later too.

I looked at my phone again as I munched on the lucky charms.

**If I texted you as much as I thought about you, there would be no time in my day to do anything else.**

**You say the sweetest things. **

He was definitely reinforcing my decision to give this a shot.

**Just the truth :)**

I made my way to class with a smile on my face, feeling slightly better about the day ahead.

* * *

Photography went by well enough; we received a new assignment to make a portfolio of ten pictures capturing emotion by the Monday after next. It sounded easy enough, but they had to be candid and raw. It would be good practice for photo journalism so I was looking forward to it. _If_ I could find the time to get it done.

Isabelle was waiting for me outside of our French classroom when I got there ten minutes before class.

"Hey Magnus." She smiled and waved, inspiring me. I still had my camera out since my photography class was just down the hall and I had been planning on reviewing some shots before putting it away. I snapped the picture quickly before she had a chance to pose.

"Whoa, you should warn a girl before taking her picture!" She put her hands over her face, but it was too late; I already had my gold.

"Sorry, you just looked so genuine. It's for my photography class; I promise you looked good, don't worry." She crossed her arms and scowled, but I could tell she was just putting it on. She liked the attention.

"Well, if you need any more modeling help, just let me know." Her expression changed to all smiles again at the prospect and she started playing with her hair.

"I might actually; I have a project that I don't have time for this week. I might need you over next weekend to take some candid shots of, if you don't mind." Isabelle had striking features, like her brother.

"I'd love to."

"Great." I made to walk into class, but she grabbed my arm.

"Wait a sec." She checked her phone and looked down the hall before looking back at me.

"Ooookkaaaayy... What's up?" I moved out of the way of the door to let the other arriving students in. Our teacher would be getting here soon, we only had a few minutes before class started.

Before she could reply we were joined by none other than Alec. I was so shocked to see him that I just stared at him while he handed Isabelle a Starbucks cup and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks big brother. I'll see you for dinner?"

"Yeah, six thirty. Bring your French book, we'll go over it afterwards." He hadn't looked at me yet, and didn't until she'd walked passed me into the classroom, leaving us alone in the hallway.

"Hey." He said awkwardly, turning to face me.

"Hey," I finally recovered enough to flash him my award-winning smile.

"Here," he handed me the other Starbucks cup in his hands, "it's a spiced chai latte, Izz said you like them." He blushed a little handing it over.

"You are quite possibly the sweetest person I've ever been involved with." I took the drink, sipping it gratefully.

"I just finished up with class in the building next door and I wanted to see you before I left for work. I hope today goes better for you than yesterday."

He was so adorable and thoughtful and _perfect_. I leaned down and kissed his strawberry pink lips, making sure to avoid crushing the camera hanging from my neck in between us.

"You've succeeded at making this day a thousand times better than yesterday. I wish I didn't have to wait so long to see you."

"Me too. Hopefully I'll be worth it." He blinked up at me through those long lashes, prompting me to kiss him once more, this time a little longer and more passionate.

"I'm sure you will be." I whispered when my lips left his. I winked and his face turned a beautiful shade of rose, undeniably catching the double meaning in our words. "I have to go to class now; thank you for coming to see me. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Have fun."

We went our separate ways. Alec's five minute visit had brightened my mood indefinitely and I felt ready to take on the world; not even Camille could upset me tonight.


	14. How to Tell a Convincing Lie

**Here is the second Heronstairs chapter. I hope you all are ready for some smut and angst :P **

**Speaking of, I've changed the rating to M because I'm not entirely sure where draws the line, but I think if there are lemons it should be considered M. So, now it's M. I hope that doesn't frighten any of you away; if you don't like my level of detail let me know and I'll tone it down in future. **

**Also, I've gone back and put the dates on every story cuz it was getting to hard to figure out when everything was happening. hopefully it helps you guys keep track too. **

**This one possibly should have been posted before chapter 13, timeline-wise, but oh well. Hindsight is 2020. So I'm going to have two Heronstairs back to back, then we'll pick back up with all the Malec-y goodness soon. **

**As always, thank you all for reading and reviewing. I love you :) enjoy! **

* * *

**Wednesday Sept 27 Chapter 14 How to Tell a Convincing Lie: Jem POV **

_Ring, ring, ring..._

An unknown telephone number popped up on the house phone. I thought about letting it just go to the answering machine; I was elbow deep in textbooks and not in the mood to deal with wrong numbers or telemarketers, but the sound was getting on my nerves and I needed to get something to drink anyway so I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jem?" I recognized Will's voice. My pulse jumped hearing him on my phone. He'd never called me before and we didn't have an appointment until Friday; in fact, I wasn't really sure how he'd even gotten my number.

"Will?" I could think of nothing more intelligent than that to continue our conversation with.

"Yeah, how are you?"

"Fine... You?"

"I'm good." There was a long pause; apparently he hadn't planned this out very far. His awkward silence encouraged my speech though.

"Were you calling for a reason or did you just miss my beautiful voice?" He laughed into the receiver; the tension in the call melting away.

"A little bit of both possibly. What are you doing today?"

"What I'm doing every day: studying." It was the pathetic truth.

"Could I tempt you into a break?"

"That depends... What did you have in mind?" Spending time with Will vs. memorizing the names of all of the muscles in the hand... It wasn't a tough call as to which I would prefer. Unfortunately, it was not the same as the one I needed to be doing.

"I thought perhaps we could have lunch?"

"Eh, that's not a very tempting offer; I have food here AND diagrams of skinless hands too look at while I dine. You're going to have to up the ante." I joked, hoping that he remembered I was studying anatomy and didn't think now that I was some creepy budding serial killer or something.

"Well, that does sound difficult to beat. How about I take you out to lunch and a movie or something and you can study my _living _hands. You can even touch them if you'd like. Free of charge." I thought about his hands and the touching that could be done with them and blushed, even though there was no one around.

"That offer is almost too good to resist, but I really do need to get this stuff memorized by like, yesterday."

"We could always order take out and I'll help you. I think I still have my anatomy flashcards around here somewhere actually. I didn't take it _that _long ago, and I'm pretty sure the structure of the human hand hasn't changed much." I giggled (_where the hell did _that_ come from?!) _and agreed that that would be an agreeable alternative. After all, Alec would be out probably all night with Magnus and Will probably wouldn't be over for _that _long.

His persistence was endearing where it probably should have been annoying. I thought it was nice being pursued though; it didn't happen all that often.

"_Hey Jem!"_ Alec called through the den.

"Dinner works better for me than lunch, can you come over in a couple of hours?" Will agreed and I quickly gave him the address and hung up, heading into the den to see why Alec was home so early. He was supposed to be at work until six I thought.

He apparently got sent home early (probably because he was too stressed to concentrate) and wanted to do some yoga with me before his date to clear his head. It sounded like a good plan; can't hurt to spend an extra hour toning your body before spending time with a man you can't keep your hands off of...

And it was probably a good idea for Alec too.

After the class was over he and I parted ways; I headed home to have a post-workout snack and shower off and he stayed behind to work on some strength training. I was never much into lifting weights, preferring more 'whole body' exercises when it comes to muscles and toning.

I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard the doorbell ring. I looked at my phone; it was only 6:50. I'd told Will not to come over until about 8:30, since Alec would be gone by then. It's not that I minded them meeting or anything (aside from the fact that I hadn't mentioned Will to Alec at all), I just always felt weird having guys over when Alec was here. It was just having a date in front of your little brother.

It was just _weird_.

I dried myself off as quickly as I could, my hair still dripping rapidly cooling water down my neck, and wrapped the emerald towel around my waist and heading for the direction of the door as the bell was rung again. I assumed Alec had left his keys when he'd changed for the gym earlier.

I glanced through the peephole and saw only the back of a head with black hair; he must've been leaning against the door waiting for me. I unlocked the deadbolt and opened it.

And nearly fainted from shock and embarrassment.

Will. It was Will, not Alec, who was waiting at my front door so impatiently.

It was Will who I was now standing in front of in only a green towel which suddenly felt incredibly small.

It was Will who was staring at me with a smirk on his face and lust in his eyes.

"You could have just said you wanted me to come over so you could seduce me instead of making up that lame excuse about studying. I wasted thirty minutes of my life looking for these." He held up a hand which contained a thick stack of flashcards with anatomical pictures on them.

"It wasn't an excuse. And I wasn't expecting you until later." I stuttered out. He raised an eyebrow and made a show of looking me up and down before replying.

"Then who, pray tell, _were _you expecting?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I thought my roommate had forgotten his key; I just got out of the shower when I heard the bell."

"Well, are you going to invite me in, or would you like to stand here with the door open your neighbors to see you in all of your semi-naked glory?" He teased.

I groaned and motioned for him to come inside, closing the door hastily behind us.

Will was still smirking at me.

"Stop that." I snapped; annoyed at being caught so off guard.

"Stop what?" He sat his cards down on the side table, keeping his eyes transfixed on my body.

"Staring. It's rude." I was starting to feel very self-conscious; I needed to go get some clothes on.

"If you didn't want to be stared at you shouldn't have answered the door dripping wet in nothing but a towel. It's fair game." He walked over to me and I felt my pulse quicken with the increase in proximity.

"Well, I'll do you a favor and go get dressed so you can tear your eyes away." I intended to turn around and walk to my room, but he was inches away from me now and it was becoming difficult to make my body listen to my commands.

"It won't help much; I can't seem to keep my eyes off of you even when you _are_ wearing clothes." He reached out and put a hand on my exposed hip, right above the towel line. I jumped involuntarily and took a step back, bumping into the wall behind me. He followed and surprised me again by placing his mouth to mine. I gasped into the kiss, granting his tongue an opportunity to invade my mouth.

Primal instinct and lust took over, and it wasn't until we'd crossed the threshold of my bedroom and I was removing Will's baby blue t-shirt that my brain kicked back into gear.

"Will," I was breathless when I spoke and he interpreted it more of an encouragement to continue than a plea to stop. His hands explored my naked chest; when his calloused thumbs slid over my nipples at the same time his teeth raked across my earlobe I nearly slipped back into my frenzied, non-thinking, desire-driven state.

He guided us, while kicking his shoes off haphazardly, over to my bed, onto which we gracefully(ish) tumbled; his body pinning mine to the mattress, our bare chests, and mouths, crashed together.

I turned away from the kiss, which only succeeded in exposing the soft flesh of my neck to his hungry mouth, which he began sucking on immediately. My hands found their way to his shoulders and pushed lightly.

"Will, wait-" I pushed more firmly when he didn't comply. "Stop!" I demanded, knowing that if his mouth continued its work for much longer there would be no turning back; I would be putty in his, very capable, hands.

He stopped kissing me, not before nipping (hard) at my shoulder, and looked me in the eyes. His facial expression was hazily questioning and frustrated, and he was breathing hard.

"What's wrong?"

Good question. Well put.

What _was _wrong? I wanted this, he wanted this, we were both consenting adults, so why was I stopping him again?

Oh yeah, we only just kissed for the first time a few days ago. I _am _generally one to move fast (not like I had all the much time to waste) but this was a record even for me. At least it wasn't as if we'd just met. And as long as emotions stayed out of it, there was really no reason to stop.

"James?"

The drugged hazy look left his eyes, being replaced by genuine concern as my silence lingered on.

It didn't matter though. I'd forgotten everything at that word; including how to breathe there for a moment. Once fully recovered a second later, I reached up and slid my fingers into his messy black hair and spoke. The only words managing to form on my lips being "Say it again."

**Will POV:**

"James." I moaned, grinding our hips together as I did. The reaction from Jem's body was more than satisfactory and added to my awareness of the fact that there were too many pieces of clothing left in between us.

I weighed the pros of standing up and removing the rest of my clothing with the cons of breaking physical contact with him and in the end decided it was worth the momentary break to be able to feel more of his skin against mine.

He watched hungrily as I shed the unwanted clothing.

"Like what you see?" I questioned, reaching my arms over my head in a stretch that did wonders for my physique. (One may wonder how I know this, and to that I would answer: I may or may not have a full length mirror in my bedroom for reasons other than to see how my shoes look with my top...)

"It'll do." He replied calmly, sitting up; though it was obvious that I was having an effect on him.

"If you're dissatisfied I could always leave..." I played along, pretending to reach for my clothes. Jem caught me firmly by the wrist and pulled me to the edge of the bed.

"The satisfying has yet to've begun." He spoke as he unwrapped the towel from his waist and dropped it to the floor.

He was gorgeous. His porcelain body was thin, but well defined; all sharp angles and features.

I hadn't been with a man in some time; hadn't even been attracted to one before Jem for at least a two years. My last relationship (which had finally ended back in April) had been, unexpectedly, with a female and could be described as tumultuous at best. Still, we'd stuck it out for two years and since then the idea of being with anyone had been off putting to say the least. That is, until I met Jem.

My thoughts led to the slightest hesitation before climbing back into bed which, as my luck would have it, Jem picked up on. I tried to ignore his questioning look as I lay down beside him, but he would have none of that.

"Everything ok?" He asked softly, running a delicate hand lightly down my side.

"Yeah." I said, a little too quickly. I mentally cursed myself when I felt his hand cease its descent of my body.

"Stop lying. What's wrong?" He could read my subtleties too well. _Dammit_.

"Nothing's _wrong_. It's just..." _embarrassing to tell you I haven't had sex with a man in over two years. That's all; no big deal. _

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. "It's, uh, been awhile since I've been _with_ a guy..." I admitted. He looked relieved that it wasn't that I was having second thoughts or something along those lines. Smiling, laughing a little even, his hand began to move again.

"Bú yào dān xīn," (I had no idea what he had said, but it sounded beautiful and musical). He kissed me slowly, guiding me onto my back while his hand dipped between my thighs. I couldn't help but moan at his skillful touch. "I'll be gentle... Mostly." He added in afterthought, proceeding to run his teeth along my ear as his fingers wrapped around my arousal and squeezed. I arched up into his touch, letting myself get lost in the sensations.

His mouth was making its way down my body, electrifying my skin with every wet, teasing kiss.

"Nǐ de yǎn jing hén měi." His tongue drew hot circles over my abdomen before finally joining his hand where I craved for him the most. He placed open mouthed kisses up and down my shaft before dipping down and taking me fully into his mouth.

"Fuck...James." I whimpered as he sucked forcefully. He chuckled, the vibration of which set my nerves alight.

"Not quite yet..." He leaned across me, reaching into his nightstand he pulled out a small bottle and returned to his previous position between my thighs. His mouth engulfed me once more and his fingers, now slick with the contents of the bottle prepared my entrance. My breath caught at the shock of feeling the first finger enter me.

He noticed my discomfort and did something with his tongue and teeth that caused me to not even notice when his next finger slipped inside. Heat was building up inside of me and I wanted more; _needed _more.

I didn't need to say anything; it was as if he knew my body as well as I did.

His fingers left me before too long and I watched eagerly as he slicked himself up.

He began slowly stroking me again as he, even more slowly, slid inside. Even with the prepping it hurt; it was in no way unbearable, and I certainly didn't want him to stop, it was just a distracting, discontinuous pain. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the feelings his hand was giving me. I gave him complete control over myself; letting him guide my body into the position he wanted. He obviously knew what he was doing because within no time at all that distracting pain was drown out by the pleasure-filled thrusts that were angled just right.

I opened my eyes to see his silvery shimmering eyes staring down at me, face completely consumed with desire. The sight ignited the slow-building heat in my lower abdomen, causing me to cry out in ecstasy. I could feel myself slipping into the beginnings of an orgasm.

Jem apparently sensed it too because his movements slowed and his hand moved to my hip. He leaned forward and tasted my mouth.

"I told you I would have you helpless beneath me for as long as I wanted." He punctuated his statement with a well-angled thrust that extracted a whimper from me that I hadn't intended to give.

If I could have come out of triumphant resistance I would have.

(.._.I'm not quite sure that sentence has ever been thought before.._.)

Instead I writhed beneath him in excruciatingly agonizing ecstasy.

"Please..." I begged, clawing at his back. It was becoming too much; it felt _too_ good.

His hand slid between us and his thumb traced circles on the head of my cock, lubricated by ample amounts of precum.

"Please what?" He teased, nibbling my earlobe.

"Fuuucck! James!" His thrusts were becoming more determined and fast, the hand he was using to brace himself was beginning to shake. I wouldn't have to wait much longer; he _couldn't. _

I knotted my fingers in his hair, whispering "make me come," in his ear before capturing his bottom lip between mine and sucking forcefully. He moaned deeply and set to work fulfilling my command.

Within seconds I was biting down on his lip and arching my back, welcoming the waves of pleasure rippling through my body. His hand moved to my hip, grasping tightly as his final movements sent us both over the edge; simultaneously crying out incomprehensibly, lost in the sheer bliss of it all.

**Jem POV:**

When the world eventually stopped spinning I collapsed on my back next to Will, who was breathing as heavily as I. Neither of us spoke, or moved for that matter, for a few moments.

Through the silence I could faintly hear the sounds of a running shower; Alec must've returned home at some point. Hopefully he'd been under running water for a while; Will and I had been rather _loud. _

"That was..." Will began.

"Unexpected. And incredible." I finished for him.

Will rolled over into his side and slid an arm lazily around my waist, looking at me with sleepy eyes. It was an innocent enough gesture, but it jolted me nonetheless.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." He smiled and cupped my cheek with the hand he wasn't propping himself up on.

"Seems as though I'm rather good at that tonight." I teased. I was expecting some witty retort, but instead he simply leaned down and kissed me softly, slowly deepening it. His tongue darted between my lips as his thumb gently stroked my cheek.

Everything was starting to feel much more... _intimate. _

All of my rationale and sense of foreboding came flooding back to me at once; crashing down upon me like an ocean wave. I felt slightly sick; I needed air.

I pushed Will away and sat up, pulling the sheets over my lap to help with my sudden feeling of vulnerability.

This was what I was afraid would happen. I knew it was a mistake to invite him over. Flirting in a professional setting is one thing, making out in the heat of the moment is even alright, because it's just primal; instinctual. There's no thinking or emotions, just acting on impulse and then it's over. No second dates, no sleepovers, no anniversaries. No _future._

Inviting someone over the study and hang out just leads to trouble. That's where the feelings start to kick in and bonds begin to form. I'd been having second thoughts about it since I'd agreed, but then I'd answered the door in my towel and the instincts had kicked in and for a moment I'd thought I'd found a way around it.

And then he kissed me.

That was _not _the kiss of a one night stand or a friend with benefits; that was a kiss that screamed emotions and bond forming and all of those things I needed to stay away from. That was a kiss that signaled we'd gone too far and I needed to end this right now before it got out of hand any more than it already had.

"Will, don't." I closed my eyes and took slow, steady breaths, trying my hardest not to let the emotional tsunami that was raging inside of me show in my features.

"Don't what?" I felt him sit up. I didn't need my eyes open to know what kind of a look he had on his face; his tone and body language said it all. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my resolve.

_If it's this painful now, just think of how worse it could be if you wait. _

I had to remind myself that this was more for him than it was for me. He deserved someone else, someone better with a better future. I could already feel myself starting to care for him more than was smart to. It was so hard to ignore the connection we shared though; the way our bodies fit together, moved together, _came together. _It had been the most pleasurable sex I'd ever experienced, but that didn't change the fact that it could never happen again. It was, indeed, part of the reason.

"We shouldn't've done that; _I _shouldn't've done that. I'm sorry-" Will cut me off with a laugh.

"Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for." He reached for my hand, thinking that guilt or a hurt sense of virtue had been my reason for speaking. It made what I had to do next all the more difficult.

I looked him in the eyes (the sparkling violet-blue dazzlingly beautiful eyes) and deliberately placed his hand back on the mattress.

"That can't happen again." I tried to keep all emotion from my voice as I spoke, even though my throat was burning and I had to swallow down tears several times.

"And why is that? You weren't exactly opposed to it ten minutes ago when you were screaming my name." He was angry; and rightfully so. I was being horrible, but it had to be done and I couldn't let him know how much it was killing me, otherwise he might get the, wrong, impression that there was any hope for whatever this was trying to turn into.

"I'm your patient Will; it's unethical and immoral and can cost you your job if someone finds out."

"It's just a temporary position anyway." He shrugged away my concern.

"It would still go in your file and could affect your career in the future."

"Then we don't have sex at the hospital; I think that's an easy enough rule to follow..." He joked, his voice still laced with a hint of annoyance.

"You know it's not that simple."

"So what? You're saying that we should just continue our working relationship and forget any of this ever happened?" There was quite obviously a right and wrong answer to this question. Unfortunately, I had to choose the wrong one.

I took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to say what I needed to say to get him to forget about me and move on.

"Yes."

There was a moment in which it felt as though all of the air had gone out of the room, then it all rushed back at once.

I thought that he might continue to try and fight my decision, but he didn't. He just stood up and quickly pulled on his boxers and jeans, then grabbed the rest of his clothing on his way to the door before turning to face me.

"I didn't realize Tai Chi meant so much to you." He quipped before slamming the door behind him. I heard the front door slam shut a few moments later and vaguely wondered if he'd encountered Alec on his way out.

The lack of a knock at my door told me that that was unlikely to be the case.

I suddenly felt more alone than I had in a very, very long time. I felt sick to my stomach and at last the walls came down and the ocean of tears I'd been holding back came flooding through.

I cried until my eyes hurt too badly to cry anymore then got dressed and picked up the violin that I hadn't played in a while. I was too busy for it; too busy for _this_, but it couldn't be helped. My chest ached and my brain was filled with images of my night. The music was the only thing that dulled the pain; the only thing I could concentrate on aside from the cold look in Will's eyes when he'd left.

* * *

**A/N **

**I know, this was cruel, but my interpretation of the Will/Jem relationship is that Jem likes Will _a lot,_ but doesn't feel like he deserves him and doesn't want Will to hitch his wagon to a dying man, so to speak. But Will doesn't care about that, he likes Jem and that's all that matters. He is reckless and determined in his love (like in the books) and that is that.**

**Also he uses the working relationship (my analog for the 'don't fall in love with your parabatai' rule) as an excuse because he doesn't want Will to know the real reason. **

**If you have any questions on my Will/Jem or if I've made them too convoluted/OOC, let me know.**

**TRANSLATIONS: (which I forgot to put in earlier, whoops) "Nǐ de yǎn jing hén měi": You're body is so beautiful. **

**"Bú yào dān xīn," Don't worry about it**

**(I'm only in Chinese 101 so I'm relying on a Chinese phrase book I have for these, so I apologize if they're completely off. That is what they *should* say) **


	15. What Best Friends Are For

**This chapter is a little short in between thing, and thus has a different sort of title from the others. I may employ this technique in the future from time to time to bridge some gaps. It was going to be connected to something else, but it got too long so I left it as a stand alone piece. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up here before too long and we can keep this thing rolling along. I have a French test Friday though, so I may not get to posting another until Saturday at the earliest.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Cassandra Clare's characters or the Jack Daniel's brand... Just some bottles... :P**

* * *

**Saturday Sept 29 ****Will's** **POV ****Chapter 15: What Best Friend's Are For. **

"Comfort food or booze?" Magnus leaned over the couch I was moping on to ask me when he got home from work Saturday night.

"Both." I rolled onto my side and put the throw pillow over my head. I knew this moment was coming; I'd been moping around the house for three days straight; I couldn't _not_ expect Magnus to notice and be concerned. I didn't _want_ to talk about it, but that wasn't an option. The only options were comfort food or booze.

Twenty minutes later Magnus came back home with coke, pizza, and brownies. One could never accuse him of not going the whole nine yards on these sort of things. This was also the great thing about living in a college town: fresh hot pizza and brownies after 11pm.

He sat everything down on the coffee table and brought in two ice filled cups and a bottle of whiskey from the kitchen.

"Spill." He ordered while pouring us two Jack & Coke's.

"What if I said I didn't want to talk about it?" I stalled, skipping the pizza and heading straight for a warm browning.

"Then I would say you should have thought about that before I went out and bought all this stuff; and before you spent the last three days in nothing but pajamas or hospital scrubs and called in sick yesterday, even though we both know you never get sick. So spill. Who is this about?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course he would say 'who' and not 'what'. He knew my mood swings too well. And he was right about me not being sick yesterday. I just couldn't handle going to mine and Jem's appointment and pretending like nothing had happened.

"There's this physical therapy patient..." I started off, not really knowing where I wanted to take it from there.

"William, don't you think those people have been through enough trauma? They don't need the horror of you hitting on them as well." I threw the pillow I'd been clutching at him and he narrowly dodge it, almost spilling his drink.

"He's not a crash victim, Mr. Sensitive!"

"_He?_ Back on the team then huh?" Magnus wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Says the man who, for a while there, would screw anything with a pulse; be it man, woman, or anything in between."

Magnus just picked up a piece of pizza and shrugged at me.

"The libido wants what it wants." He took a bite and added as an afterthought, "oh, and I'd appreciate if you didn't lead with that when you meet Alexander. He strikes me as the type that details of my past _indiscretions_ wouldn't go down very well with."

"You don't think he's going to find out eventually? You've slept with half the city, I'm sure you two will bump into someone you _know _at some point." I welcomed the change in subject and tried to keep it going.

"Eventually, yes. And, I mean, he _basically_ knows I got around a bit before him, he just doesn't need the details." He looked remorseful. It was a new look for Magnus and I wondered if this new boy was having more of an effect on him than he realized. He'd never cared about his reputation before; at least not in any negative sense. He'd always laughed it off as evidence that he'd gotten something out of life while he was young enough to enjoy it, but when he talked about it just then the look on his face said that sentiment was changing.

"I promise I won't say anything." It wasn't my place to get involved and I certainly didn't want to be privy to that conversation when it eventually happened.

"Thanks. So, back to this male patient of yours... What's his name, what did he do, and do you want me to go beat him up?" I laughed at Magnus's attempt to get the subject back on me, and his offer.

"I'm pretty sure he could kick your ass ten times over, no offense. He's even a match for me."

Magnus thought for a moment.

"I could hire someone to do it. I've got connections."

"What are you in the mafia now?" I finished my brownie and started on a piece of ham and pineapple pizza, washing it down with the whiskey-coke concoction, that was much more the former than the latter.

"Come on, you keep avoiding my questions. What happened?" He was not going to let this go no matter how many times I derailed us.

"We went out after work a couple of times; got some drinks, talked a bunch, made out in the parking deck, hence the hickey last Sunday... you know, the usual sort of stuff." I stared down into my glass, trying to keep the conversation light while swallowing down the emotions from Wednesday night that were threatening to come back with a vengeance.

"But?" Magnus prompted.

"But I work with him and it's against hospital policy to fraternize with patients."

"So?" Magnus obviously felt the same way about that excuse that I did. To hell with the rules. No one at work had to know, we could keep our personal lives personal and no one would find out.

"So it's apparently a big concern to him that I don't mess up my job for him and that's that. He called it quits, end of story." End of, very condensed, very abridged, story.

"You've been moping around the house for two days because a guy you made out with turned you down? I realize this doesn't happen to you often and rejection can be a shock, but it's his loss. Be happy you didn't waste your time going any further and move on." I felt sick when he mentioned going further. He must've noticed my body language change. "Unless there's something you're leaving out... Will?" He tilted my head up, but I looked away, sighing.

"There's more." I gave him a detailed recounting of Wednesday's conversation, mentioning the sex only briefly to make the point that it was amazing and not the reason for the rejection (at least I hoped it wasn't). I told him about Jem's abrupt change from being gentle and caring to essentially kicking me out. I told him about the way his disconnected words didn't match up with the look in his eyes, but that he'd said them nonetheless. And I told him how he hadn't tried to stop me when I left; hadn't said one word, just watched me go and hadn't called since.

The recounting took another glass of Jack & Coke and, though it helped the words flow more freely, it didn't help the aching, sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just wanted to forget James Carstairs ever existed; I wanted to go back in time and stop myself from volunteering to help out in the PT ward so that we would've never met. Because now that I'd experienced being with him, laughing with him, talking with him, I wasn't sure I could ever forget it. It was as though in that tiny amount of time we'd spent together he'd knitted himself to me in some permanent way and try as I might, I couldn't cut the strings away.

Magnus pulled me into a hug; a gesture I usually fight against but was too weak with depression to do anything about. I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder so he couldn't see that I was about to cry.

I was being pathetic, I knew, but there was nothing I could do to change it, and Magnus would never bring it up again. He was a better friend than that.

"Now I really do want to hire someone to beat him up." He said softly as a tear dropped from my eye onto his shoulder. I don't know why but having Magnus think so lowly of Jem made it hurt even worse.

"He's really not a bad person, he was just making the rational decision. _For me._" I defended before I could help it.

"Well his decisions have really shitty timing. He could've handle that a _lot_ better."

I laughed bitterly. "That is the understatement of the century."

I severed our hug and leaned back on the arm of the couch, feeling slightly better after getting it all out.

Magnus studied me for a moment, considering his words.

"The only reason he gave was your job?" He finally asked.

"Yeah."

"And you legitimately think he enjoyed the time you two have spent together? You're not just being conceited and seeing what you wanted to see?" He raised his eyebrows at me, waiting for an answer. I thought about it for a while before replying.

"Yes, he seemed to."

"And you don't think he was just making up an excuse because you're bad in bed?" Magnus's attempts to cheer me up were unconventional and if anyone else heard us talking they would probably think he was just being a dick, but it was just how we were together.

"Trust me, that wasn't it." I retorted.

"Then I think you should wait a couple more days and then revisit the situation. If you're still hung up on this guy (who I still say doesn't deserve your time), then maybe you should ask him if getting reassigned would help. Or, peut être, you're infatuation will dissipate. Either way, time will help, so will getting off your ass and getting back to work." He added the last part lightheartedly, trying to pry out a smile.

"Practicing your French for Alec?" I relented and smiled. He was right; I needed to get up (get dressed) and deal with my issues. Maybe I would try the reassignment thing, and if that didn't work then so be it. If he doesn't like me he doesn't like me.

I would jump off that bridge when I got to it.

"Oui, Je...pense il est... helping." We both laughed at his ridiculousness and finished off the junk food; my thoughts only _occasionally_ slipping towards Jem. Maybe Magnus was right. I just needed some more time.


	16. How to Get a Good Shot

**I am being too good to you all and updating too soon. That being said, it's a Malec chapter so Will and Jem's fate still hangs in the balance mwahahahaha! See, I can be good and evil all at once ;) **

**Anyway, I hope you all know that this is entirely because I am a slave to your reviews. Seriously, they are like crack. I just can't get enough. I love getting your feedback so thank you thank you thank you. [that is not to say that I do crack, because I don't, and I don't condone drug use, unless it's yin fin to save Jem's life.]**

**(I have a lot of the next chapter [a Heronstairs chapter] written, so hopefully it won't take me too too long to get it up here. But who knows. My motivation is unreliable at best.) **

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**Friday October 5 Chapter 16 Alec's POV: How to Get a Good Shot**

I thought when Magnus had told me we couldn't see each other until Friday that my week would drag on unbearably, but it actually turned out to go by rather fast. Largely due to me throwing myself into my schoolwork and trying to figure out Jem's sudden mood swings. He hadn't left the house all week, except to go to class and work on Saturday; he even skipped his hospital appointments. I tried to get him to tell me what was wrong to no avail. He would just shrug and say it didn't matter and go back to his room to play his violin some more. He assured me it was nothing to do with his health, but I was still worried. I hated seeing him upset, and I hated more that there was nothing I could do about it.

Aside from feeling helpless about Jem, I was generally kept in a good mood by Magnus's frequent texts. Since being reassured that he wouldn't get annoyed or sick of me if I texted or called whenever I thought about him, I was doing it much more often, which, so far, he hadn't seemed to mind one bit. He even called me after getting off work some nights just to hear my voice, so he said. It was sweet, whether it was true or not.

I was really starting to fall for him.

We made plans to go out to a movie on Friday night, followed by dinner, and then on Sunday he, Izzy, Clary, Jace, and I were going to the park to help him out with his photography project. He told me Tuesday night that he'd gotten the perfect picture to represent hate from his boss, Camille, and Thursday morning he'd snuck up on Will, knocking out both the surprise and anger categories in under a minute. He just needed a few more shots, which hopefully we could all deliver on Sunday.

* * *

I handled the day of our date much better than I had the last time. I concentrated on my classes and work just fine, only letting my mind drift when it wasn't busy and I had time to sneak a look at my phone or send a quick reply. He was picking me up again, but we'd agreed that I would pay for dinner this time. And he'd let me pick the movie, which was to be a sci-fi action flick that was unlikely to include any awkward, sappy romance scenes.

I had really enjoyed our last date, even though it had gotten fairly heavy towards the end. If it had been with anyone else I would have been mortified getting kissed in public (still being a bit uncomfortable wearing my sexuality on my sleeve), but with Magnus I just couldn't help myself. I didn't think about what anyone else thought when I was with him. I'd even let him kiss me at school, right where anyone could've seen, where people I _know_ could've seen. I didn't care. All I was thinking about was how good he looked and smelled and _tasted_. I couldn't get enough of it.

I would've been just as happy staying in and ordering take out for our second official date so that we could have more time just the two of us, but with how far we got at the restaurant, it was safe to say that having actual privacy and being near my bedroom would _not _turn out well for my innocence. Not that that had stopped me from inviting him in last time_. I still can't believe I did that_. I definitely wasn't ready to take _that_ step with him, even though I was positive I would at some point not too far off. We needed more time to get to know each other before jumping into bed together though.

Now if only I could convince my hormones of that.

I got dressed for our date in a pair of black jeans and a gray thermal Henley. October meant the end of t-shirt weather. Magnus was punctual and looked amazing in emerald skinny jeans and a cream colored long sleeved v neck shirt. He kissed me in way of greeting and for a moment I wanted to pull him back into the apartment and forget about our plans, but he pulled away before we could get _too _worked up. _It's a good thing one of us has self-control. _

"Hello gorgeous, I've miss you." He greeted, brushing a stray hair from my face.

"I missed you too." I grabbed my jacket off the coatrack and closed the door behind me. He took my hand while we walked to his car.

"How was work today?" He asked as we buckled up.

"Not too bad. I was in the back sorting through pieces of pottery most of my shift." I work at the local historical society in the preservation department so most of my shifts involve sorting through pottery and cataloging it for the stacks.

"Sounds...interesting." He said diplomatically. I laughed.

"It's ok, you can say dull. I actually don't mind it, but most people think its mind numbingly boring."

"So is that what you want to do with your degree? Work in a museum?"

"Preferably, I'd like to lead archaeological digs; I do enjoy the laboratory work just as much as the fieldwork though. Either that or spend my life devoted to translating dead languages. I haven't quite decided yet." I still had a couple of semesters before I had to decide about graduate programs and I hoped I would have a more solid idea of what I wanted by then.

He asked me a few more questions about languages and I railed off on a tangent for the entire fifteen minute car ride to the movies. Once you get me started on Universal Grammar and Niche Construction Theory with regards to the evolution of language there is _no_ stopping me. I have to give Magnus props for following through the whole lecture AND asking me clarifying questions that proved he was actually listening and not just nodding his head along to the sound of my voice.

"So they can only trace language origins back 11000 years max?" Magnus asked, opening the door to the theater for me.

"Essentially. The Nostratic language hypothesis was put forth by Holger Pedersen in 1903 and he asserted that there was a common language ancestor for major language families of the world, such as the Indo-European, Finno-Ugric, Turkish, Manchu, Semitic, etcetera." Magnus shook his head, trying to digest the mouthful of information I'd given him.

"I've never actually given the origin of language or its innateness a second thought, but it really is fascinating. That may just be because you're the one telling me about it though." He winked at me, taking a place in front of me in line.

I attempted to order my ticket when he stepped away from the window, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of line, holding up two tickets.

"We agreed to pay for our own." I told him, rolling my eyes. He just shrugged.

"I forgot." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Most people love it when their date pays, you should just sit back and enjoy it." He was right, of course. But I'd grown accustomed to doing things for myself. I just felt strange when someone did something for me; I just felt sort of, I don't know, helpless I guess. Whether monetarily or even something as simple as opening doors, which Magnus insisted on doing constantly. I'd had to actually stop myself when getting in the car so that he could do it for me.

We took our seats, avoiding the overpriced concessions that would ruin our dinner, and he immediately lifted the armrest so that he could snuggle closer to me. Despite my newly open attitude towards PDA, I was thankful we were in a dark theater. His fingers intertwined with mine and I had the urge to rest my head on his shoulder. I didn't, but I wanted to.

* * *

"I don't understand how someone can call that cinema; it certainly can't be called art." Magnus complained an hour and fifty minutes later. "The best part of that movie was the previews. Or the credits. I can't decide which."

"You're being too harsh. Yeah the script writers need to have their hands cut off, but the special effects were incredible, and the storyline overall was good." I defended.

"I suppose I can concede that there were some beautifully directed camera shots, and the scenery was nice. Maybe it would have been a good movie on mute." We both laughed at my horrible choice for a film and headed to the restaurant for a meal that would hopefully be better.

We went to a little Italian place within walking distance of the theater. It wasn't as amazing as The Institute, but I was pretty positive nothing could beat that. Still, this place was nice and had some delicious chicken parmigiana.

"So what exactly are we going to be doing Sunday?" I asked between mouthfuls of spaghetti.

"Anything really. I want to get some shots of people having fun and such. Hopefully I can capture some great emotions between you and Izzy. Maybe I'll get something out of Clary, Simon and Jace too, but I'm not too sure how _that's_ going to go."

"Simon?" I hadn't heard the name before, I'd thought it was just going to be the four of us.

"He's Clary's best friend; Jace hates him but she wouldn't agree to do the shoot without him and I needed a larger pool of faces so I told her to bring him along. Not to mention the bonus fact that anything that makes Jace mad is fully welcomed by me." He stabbed at his chicken Alfredo for emphasis.

"Why don't you like him? He's always been nice to me whenever I've hung out with him. He seems like a great guy." He was also drop dead gorgeous, but I didn't think I should add that to the list of reasons to like him. It seems an inappropriate thing to say to your date.

"Meh. He's an arrogant ass most of the time. He just turns on the charm when other people are around." He didn't seem to take very well to my praise of Jace, so I changed the subject hastily.

"Well I hope you get the shots you need. Isn't it due Monday?"

"Yeah, I'm pushing it a little, but I really haven't had the time to get it done." He took a sip of his drink and continued. "You _could_ always let me take some pictures of you after dinner... You'd make a beautiful model. And that blush would capture the sentiment of nervousness quite well." He added with a laugh as I turned red at his suggestion.

"Uhhh..." I couldn't think of a reply other than 'hell no', but I didn't want to put him off. I appreciated the offer, I did, I just dreaded the idea of being photographed one on one by Magnus. It was somehow too intimate of a suggestion, whether it was meant that way or not.

"Haha we can wait on a decision about that." He snickered.

* * *

It was only about nine thirty when we finished up with dinner so Magnus again suggested we spend a little time working on his project.

"It'll be fun." He'd said when we reached his car, trying his best to convince me. I shook my head. "I'll make it worth your trouble, I promise. And if you hate the photos I won't use them." I bit my lip, contemplating the possible meanings for 'worth my trouble'.

If I said no the date was pretty much over, but if I said yes we'd get at least another hour together. However, that hour would be spent in awkward hell. Decisions, decisions.

"Fine." I finally relented. He cheered and we got in the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked, realizing too late that I maybe should have gotten more details before agreeing.

"The park."

"You do know nobody's supposed to be there after dark right?" I didn't want to have to explain to a bunch of cops why Magnus and I were hanging around the park in the middle of the night taking pictures.

"No one cares. I've done plenty of shoots there after dark. As long as you're not drunk and don't litter no one minds if you're there."

The closer we got to the park the more butterflies I got, so that by the time we got there I thought I might faint.

I was standing next to the car, staring off into space when the first picture was taken. There was a bright flash coming from my left side where Magnus was getting the camera out if the trunk.

"Pensive." He titled.

"Blind." I retorted, blinking the spots in front of my eyes away.

"Sorry, the perils of night time photography. The moon's pretty bright though, so I can try a few shots playing with shadows and natural lighting." He looked around for the perfect spot and dragged me over to the swings where the moonlight reflected off the shiny metal.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I put my hands in my pockets, uncomfortable under Magnus's stare. He sat down, indicating I do the same and positioned me so that the moonlight hit my face just right.

"Just forget that I'm going to be taking your picture. Talk to me."

"About what?" My mind always went blank whenever someone told me to talk. I'd already exhausted the subject of linguistics and I doubted he wanted to hear about anthropological theory. _I _didn't even want to hear about that.

"I dunno. Tell me something I don't know about you." That was helpful. _Not_. That category covered just about everything. I ran a hand through my hair and heard the click of the camera.

"Well, what emotion do you want conveyed?"

"Any is fine. I'm guessing I'll get a lot of happy on Sunday, but I don't mind having duplicates. You don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable." I glared at him pointedly and it took a second before my meaning sunk in. "Ok, you don't have to do anything that makes you _more_ uncomfortable."

I thought for a minute, trying to block out the camera held up to Magnus's face and the occasional _clicks_ from the shutter.

"If I tell you something do you promise to never, _ever_ mention it to Isabelle?"

"Of course. Your secrets are safe with me."

"Do you swear?" I pulled the camera down so that I could look him in the eyes. The gold stood out well in the shadow that was cast over his face, giving them a magical cat-like appearance.

"I swear." He answered solemnly, holding my gaze. I took a deep breath, deciding where to begin. It might've been a bad idea to share such a personal secret with him because we really didn't know each other that well, but sometimes that makes it easier to share. And I wanted to tell him. I wanted him to know everything about me and my past.

"Ok, here goes nothing." I breathed deeply again and looked in the direction of the jungle gym, to the right of Magnus's shoulder. "When I was ten my brother Max was born. Everyone assumed he was an accident, a 'pleasant surprise', but he wasn't. He was my mother's attempt at saving a dying marriage and keeping her husband at home. About a year before he was born Izzy and I were playing hide and seek upstairs; I was always the best at hiding and sometimes it would take her ages and ages to find me and she'd eventually give up. That's how I won most games. This time, I hid in my parent's wardrobe, knowing that she'd never think to look in their room. Before too long mom and dad came in and locked the door and started yelling before I had a chance to let them know I was there. The yelling scared me so I stayed quiet, hoping it would end quickly. I heard my mom talking about some woman and these emails she'd found on my dad's computer, and photos..." I trailed off, remembering the look on my mother's face as she held up the picture of the woman in lingerie she'd found on my father's laptop.

"She wanted him to leave at first, and for a second I thought he was going to. I still remember not fully understanding what was going on, but I knew I was angry at my dad for causing the pain I saw on my mother's face, but I was also angry at her for telling him to leave. I couldn't imagine why she would want to break up our family. In hindsight, I almost wish she _had_ kicked him out; if it wasn't for Max. He certainly had no problem kicking me out, and what I did didn't hurt anybody." He reached out and held my hand, I squeezed it back. "I've gotten off topic. Anyway, eventually, after a lot of horrible things said by both of them, they decided that the best course of action was for him to call it off with his mistress and neither of them would speak of it to us. After that my parents spent a lot more time together; I think my mom was monitoring all of his free time to make sure he was staying faithful, and a year later Max was born. I never told Izzy. Even after they kicked me out and I hated them. She always saw their relationship as a perfect model of true love. I couldn't burst that bubble for her." I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"My relationship with my parents was never the same after that. I was angry and disgusted with both of them for a little while, but as I got older I realized that my mom was just trying to keep everything together for her kids, and I couldn't blame her for that. I _could _still blame my dad though. Any time he made comments about my love life I just felt like decking him, because who the hell was he to give advice? The man who cheated on my mother; on his _family_. It still kills me that he's going to be the one who teaches Max how to be a man. He doesn't deserve that privilege." The tear I was trying so desperately to hold back fell from my eye, down my cheek, and once one had fallen more started to come. There was one more _click _and then arms were around me. Strong, caring arms that held me tight until my crying stopped. My head rested on his chest, tears staining the front of his shirt. He didn't seem bothered at all by it though. He just kept holding me, running his hands over my back, soothing me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, pulling away and wiping my eyes.

"You have nothing to apologize for. _I'm _sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that." He looked genuinely apologetic.

"You didn't. I mean, you said I could talk about anything. That's what I chose."

"Thank you." He looked down at my hands, which were now placed in his, when he spoke. "I-I'm sorry that you had to go through that without being able to tell any of them."

"It's my own fault for eavesdropping and for not having the courage to confront them about it. By the time I was old enough to know I should've said something it was too late; I'd kept quiet for so long and they both played the part so well. It would've been pointless to bring it up. _I _would have been the one ruining things at that point." That was what I had been telling myself since I was thirteen.

Magnus kissed my cheek where a tear had just been, then the other before softly placing his lips on mine for a too brief moment.

"It's not your fault. And it's incredibly sweet and brave that you protected Izzy from that for so long."

"She'll kill me if she ever finds out." I told him, laughing a little through the pain. I would've hated her for keeping something like that from me, and I knew she'd feel the same, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell her and it seemed so pointless after all this time.

"I won't let her." He smiled down at me and I couldn't help but smile back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss, needing to be as physically close after being so emotionally open. When I eventually pulled back I was struck by how incredible he looked. His dark, glittered hair sparkled in the moonlight along with his eyes, and his light shirt stood out brightly against his tan skin. His lips were parted slightly and he just looked so _beautiful_. I reached for the camera he'd left lying near to me, looking at the display screen to make sure I had it focused properly, and took his picture.

"Hey, I'm the photographer, not the model." He chastised.

"You looked too beautiful to not capture it on film."

He leaned in and kissed me, grabbing the camera from my hands.

"Funny, that's what I think every time I see you." He put his hand flat on my chest and pressed me back so that I was lying on the ground, then he climbed on top of me and placed his lips on my neck. I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the bliss that was Magnus Bane. He pulled back and before I could reach for him I heard another _click_. My eyes popped open, horrified.

"Magnus!" I grabbed for the camera but his long arms and position on top of me made it easy for him to keep it away.

"Don't worry, that one's too good to go in the portfolio." He winked at me and my face ignited. He just laughed at my embarrassment and started clicking the camera again. I caught him off guard between photos and pushed him off of me, pinning him as he'd pinned me and wrestling the camera from his hands. I managed to steal a kiss and take a few pictures before he had the upper hand again. We wrestled like that for a while, every now and then getting up and chasing each other around before one of us tackled the other to the ground. I found that I was much stronger than him, but he was more flexible and could wriggle out of my grip surprisingly well. I don't know how much of his memory card would be filled up with useless pictures of half faces or hands, but I didn't really care. I was having too much fun. The short sweet stolen kisses quickly turned into teasing bites and nibbles and groping. It was exhilarating and erotic wrestling with Magnus, and for some reason capturing his image while he was pinned underneath me was a much bigger turn on than I'd expected. I could feel that he was enjoying it too.

Eventually the camera lay next to us, forgotten, as our bodies pressed together, legs intertwined and mouths firmly fused. Magnus's hands slid under my shirt, shocking my warm skin with their coolness. I hooked a finger into his belt loop and pulled his hips closer into mine, eliciting a deep sigh from his lips.

"You know, I was never this much of an exhibitionist until I met you." I joked, sliding the hand that was just on his hip into his back pocket. He made a sound akin to a cats purr and licked just under my ear before sinking his teeth in. I was growing accustomed to Magnus's bites; more than accustomed, I craved them.

Clouds moved across the sky, shielding the moonlight. If my eyes hadn't been so well adjusted I probably wouldn't have been able to see two feet in front of my face. As it was, all the darkness ended up doing was help to silence that little (almost nonexistent nowadays) part of me that reminded me we could be seen by anyone walking around in the park. Granted, that_ should _be no one, but _we_ were here without permission and there was the slim chance someone else could be too. However, that thought only lived briefly in my mind before being replaced by sensations and fantasies. There was no room for logic right now. Besides, we'd managed to make our way out of the playground area and nearer to the tree line, meaning that if someone were to be in the park they would have to be close by to actually see us. That was how I rationalized it, at least.

"God Magnus!" I moaned when he shifted hips, gripped my hair, and bit my neck all at the same time. The sensation made me arch against him involuntarily and his I felt his breath catch at the motion.

"Dammit Alexander." I heard him mutter under his breath. Pushing our bodies apart, he lay on his back, breathing heavily, looking up at the stars.

_What did I do wrong?_ I thought, panicked.

"You make it very difficult to be a gentleman, you know that." He said, still not looking at me. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, relieved that that's what his change in attitude was about, and not that he didn't _want_ to keep going.

I appreciated his restraint; lord knows I didn't have any.

"Sorry." I muttered, more than slightly embarrassed. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down. His fingers caught mine and he brought them to his mouth, kissing each finger individually.

We lay in silence together for a few more moments before I tentatively scooted a little closer to him. He looked at me disapprovingly, but did the same until our sides were touching.

I wanted to say something; I felt like I should, but I didn't know what to say. _Thank you? Don't stop next time? _I wasn't sure how to start the conversation we both knew needed to happen, and soon. Luckily, Magnus is apparently a mind reader and I didn't have to begin it.

"I want you to know that we don't have to go any further than you're comfortable with ok? I'm happy with what we have and I know I can get a little... _overzealous_ sometimes, but I don't want to push you. You can always say stop and I will, no matter what." He'd already proven that, but it was nice to hear it all the same.

"I know. Thank you." I kissed him gently and he pulled me into a hug. "We can go... _further_ you know, just not... _that _far..." I managed to get out.

_Way to sound mature Alec. _

I felt him laugh a little before kissing my cheek and replying. "We're not doing anything until you can actually say it. Don't worry about it right now." He checked the time on his phone and sighed. "We should get going, it's getting late."

I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay under the stars in the park with Magnus forever, but I _was_ starting to get cold now that we weren't doing anything to heat us up, so I begrudgingly stood up off of the chilly ground, wiping the leaves from my jeans and shirt. Magnus made sure his camera was clean before removing the leaves from his body and leading me back to the car.

"You're going to have a lot of pictures to delete." I told him as he put the camera in its case in the trunk.

"Doubtful. I'll just have a lot of pictures to sort through." He flashed me a wicked grin and my stomach did flip flops.

"You can't keep them." I practically screeched.

"Sure I can. I promise you and I will be the only ones to ever see them. Just think of them as our own privately captured memories. That's the kind of thing you want to look at when you're too old to remember for yourself; not boring Christmas dinners with the family and old school portraits."

The idea that Magnus would one day fondly look back on a memory of me made me relent all too willingly.

If he wanted to immortalize our time together I certainly wasn't going to be the one to stop him.


	17. How to Make Amends

**First quiz in Historical Archaeology and first test in French 201 down. Figured I'd take the weekend and work on some more writing for you guys since I left our poor boys in a bad place. Here is your continuation for the Heronstairs saga portion of this story. It includes some highly suggestive material so if for some reason you're reading an M rated slash fic, have made it past the last few chapters, and _aren't_ into that, then you should probably not continue on. Otherwise, I hope you guys like where I'm taking them. This chapter turned out a lot less graphic in that area than I thought it was going to, but I don't think it needs it, and there's plenty coming in the future, so don't fret. **

**:) As always, thank you so much for the reviews. They are what keeps me posting.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: How to Make Amends. ****Thursday Oct 4 Jem POV:**

_Knock knock knock_.

_Who could that be_? I wondered, glancing up at the clock. It was 7:30 pm, Alec was at work (and he would just use his key) and I wasn't expecting company.

I scooped Church up off of my lap and set him down lightly on a chair then proceeded to walk to the door; entirely unprepared for what I saw through the peep hole.

_Will. _

There was another round of knocking, more demanding this time, and my heart sank into my stomach. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't want to face him, but if I didn't make him stop knocking soon the neighbors were going to call the cops. I waited another minute, hoping he would just give up and go away.

No such luck.

I unlocked the door and opened it cautiously, avoiding his eyes at all costs.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying to sound as unengaged as possible while my body was screaming to throw itself into his arms and tell him it was all a big mistake.

"Is the _only _reason you won't go out with me because of my job or was that just an excuse?" His question caught me completely off guard.

"Excuse me?" I sputtered, buying time for my brain to process what was happening.

"You heard me. I want the truth." _The truth... The truth is that I haven't been able to concentrate on anything since I told you we couldn't date. The truth is that I regret it every moment of every day because I can't stop thinking about the way your body fit with mine. The truth is that I am _dying _and you deserve so much more than I can ever give you and I wish you'd never walked into my life because now it hurts too much to keep you out of it. _

"Yes." Was all I said though.

"That was an either or question Jem."

"Oh um, yes, it's your job." I lied.

"Well, then you'll be pleased to know that I just let the administrator know I couldn't help out in physical therapy anymore and have been reassigned. I start in geriatrics first thing Monday." He was smiling at me now and it was breaking my heart.

I wanted to cry.

"Will, I told you I didn't want you to mess up your job for me." I stalled again, trying to come up with another reason, anything but the truth, as to why I didn't want him to pursue this.

"I haven't. I'm not losing any hours, they've just been rearranged; no big deal. I told you I was only supposed to be temporary there anyway. I thought you'd be happy..." His smile faded and his perfect brows knitted together.

_Heavens he was a beautiful creature. _His hair was a bit disheveled, as though he'd been running his hands through it, and, looking more carefully, I could signs that he hadn't been sleeping. I hoped that I hadn't been the cause of his sleepless nights, but his actions told me I likely was_._

"Will I-" I searched for the words but I couldn't say them. I couldn't tell him why this would never work. It should've been obvious to him, but acted as if my illness didn't matter at all. "I can't do this to you..." I barely whispered.

His jaw set and I could feel his stare on me, but I looked away. It was all too much to handle.

"You _just_ said that my job was the only reason. Well, that problem is solved. If you don't like me all you had to do was say so; I would've stopped bothering you before, everything..." He trailed off, not needing to clarify his sentence. He had every reason to be as pissed off as I could tell he was right now. I'd led him on, caused him to quit a job he enjoyed, _lied _to him, invited him to my bed and kicked him out within an hour and a half and now I was making him think that I just didn't like him. "Have a good life James, sorry to have interrupted your evening." He turned and stormed off down the hall leaving me aching in the doorway.

_Just tell him the truth! _My mind argued with itself over what to do. I didn't want to tell him the truth, but I also couldn't stand to end it that way. I couldn't have him thinking I was that kind of person; or worse, that all of it hadn't meant anything to me. I gathered my courage and ran to catch up with him, hoping to the heavens that he hadn't made it back to his car yet.

My heart leapt when I saw a flash of black hair and a slender frame step down the last stair off the front of our building.

"Will wait!" I yelled, a few strides behind him. He turned, obviously surprised to see me running after him, wild and barefoot. I sprinted down the (very cold) steps and landed right in front of him, stumbling slightly. He put out a hand to steady me and before I knew it we were kissing. It was sloppy and hurried, leaving me gasping for air in my already out of breath state. He tasted slightly of alcohol, which would explain his sudden assertive appearance at my door and ruffled exterior.

"I'm sorry," I started, pulling out of the kiss and attempting to catch my breath. "I can't leave it like this. I can't keep lying to you."

He looked utterly bewildered at my speech and behavior. I couldn't blame him; it was a little shocking to me as well.

"Talk about mixed signals." He deadpanned.

I sighed. I didn't want to do this here; on the freezing cold sidewalk outside of my building.

"Can you come back upstairs? We need to talk. Please?"

He paused for a long time before finally agreeing uneasily. He stayed quiet as we made our way back up the steps and into my apartment. I walked over to the sofa and sat down; Will took a seat in one of the overstuffed armchairs. The small gesture hurt a lot more than I would have imagined it could. I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath, deciding how to begin.

"I don't want you to think that I didn't- that I _don't _have feelings for you, because I do, we just _can't _do this. It's not fair to you."

"Is this the part where you tell me that your roommate is actually your wife and you can't go on lying to us both?"

I laughed loudly at the absurd accusation.

"My roommate is a nineteen year old boy."

"Well then, is this the part where you tell me that I'm too old for you because you are really in love with your nineteen year old male roommate?" His ridiculous guesses diffused the tension a little bit, making it easier to talk.

"No, this is the part where I tell you what you seemed to have forgotten, which is: I'm ill. Dying, in fact. There is not a future for me and you because there is not much of a future for me. You shouldn't be wasting your time on me and I can't let you. I like you far too much to let you do that." There was a full minute of silence where all that could be heard was a distant _meow_ for Church in the kitchen.

Will stood up. I thought he was going to leave, but he came over to the couch and sat down beside me.

"It's not really your choice who I decide to spend my time on, and I've decided I want it to be you." He put his hand on mine, but I pulled away.

"Will you not getting this-" I began, frustrated.

"No, what _you're _not getting is that I don't care. I've read your file, seen the statistics. I was your nurse first, remember? That stuff doesn't bother me, and you shouldn't let it get in the way of your _life_." He took my hand again and this time I let him, intertwining our fingers. Of course he'd seen my file; he had to know the _real _prognosis, not the sugar-coated one I'd given Alec and my parents; the one that included a lot of pain and deterioration and very little hope. Why the hell was he so unconcerned with it though?

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you care?" The only logical reason would be that he wasn't planning on investing emotionally into this; but I'd experienced firsthand that that wasn't the case. Besides, if he had been trying to keep it physical he wouldn't have bothered coming back.

"Because I could get hit by a car on my way home tonight and die on impact. Or I could slip in the bathtub and crack my skull, or a million other possible day to day things could kill me prematurely. Life is cruel and often too short. I've experienced enough to tell you that, and I don't see any reason to put something off just because you're afraid of what _might _happen, because you know what? There's a large possibility that it may never get a chance to happen." He spoke passionately, as if from very personal first-hand knowledge. "I like you; you like me, I think... So why shouldn't we see where that takes us?"

It was a moving speech that rang true in many ways. I had taken that attitude towards my education and my career, why couldn't I take it towards my own relationships? Heaven knows I'd given Alec that same advice numerous times. I had no idea what the future held, good or bad; all I did know was that I liked being around the man sitting next to me very much, and if there was anyone I wanted to risk my time with, it was him.

"Ok." I replied after a moment.

"Ok?" He repeated, questioningly. He had just gone through a lovely monologue and all I had answered with was 'ok'. He probably deserved more of an elaboration.

"I don't want you to be exclusive though."

"James, really?" He rolled his eyes at my request.

"Yes, really. You shouldn't be wasting your time with me at all, but if you insist on it then the least you can do is keep your options open."

"Again," He scooted even closer to me, "that's not really up to you. I'm not going to see anyone else; if you want to..." He trailed off, but his tone said that wouldn't sit well with him.

"I don't." I assured him honestly.

"Then it's settled." He grinned widely at me and leaned in for a kiss. I let myself sink into the action, thinking only of the here and now, the way he tasted of spearmint and liquor and smelled like that amazing cologne; the way his tongue swirled around in my mouth and his lips alternated between soft and hard pressures.

* * *

**Will POV:**

James Carstairs was a confounding man. An alluring, exciting, infuriating, tempting, frustrating, confounding man.

His reason for putting me through hell last week was noble, if not absurd. I appreciated his concern, even if he _had _gone about it all wrong, and I could forgive him. Maybe I was making a mistake, maybe Magnus was right and he wasn't worth wasting my time one. I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't care.

It didn't really matter; all that mattered was that I was genuinely happy for the first time since last Wednesday night and it was because I was kissing Jem again. It was reckless and one or both of us was possibly going to end up hurt (again), but at the moment I didn't want to think about those things; worrying was for later, when I was alone. I had more important things to focus on in the present.

Jem was quickly on his back on the couch, legs pulled up at my sides as I pressed our bodies together in a way that made us both moan into our eager kisses.

"Will," Jem pulled away, breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry for, before. What I did, what I said." He looked at me with such earnest that I could barely breathe.

"It's ok." I managed to say.

"No, it's not. Things were just getting to..." He searched for the words to complete his sentence.

"Fast?" I suggested.

"No. Well, yes we moved fast, but that part didn't bother me. It was just starting to feel a lot more, _emotional_, than I had expected." He blushed, but I felt strangely vindicated.

So it hadn't been just me. He'd felt it too.

"I'll try to be more stoic for you from now on." I joked, half hoping that he would rebuke it.

"I'm not so sure you'd succeed. Or that I want you to now. I just-" He kissed up my bicep as he gathered his thoughts. "You shouldn't be wasting such emotions on someone like me."

I made him look me in the eyes before replying. "_You,_" I kissed him softly, trying to convey my point before my words confirmed it, "are the only person deserving of such emotions."

His hands wrapped around my neck and pulled my mouth to his again, holding me with a fierce need; this time he was the one trying to convey a message without speaking. And it was coming in loud and clear.

* * *

Through a haze of passion I vaguely registered and ignored the ringing of a telephone, but had to pull away once the message was through.

"**Hey Jem, I dunno if you're home or not, but I just got off work and I'm gonna grab a bite to eat then head to the library to finish up a project. I'll probably be there all night so don't wait up. Bye."**

It must've been his roommate.

"Are you positive the two of your aren't married?" I teased; the heavy atmosphere broken with our kiss. He rolled his eyes and pressed his hands flat against my chest, pushing me off of him.

"Jealous already? We've only been at this for what? Twenty minutes? Really William, you'll have to learn to control yourself better than that." It was as if the last week hadn't happened at all. He stood up and walked towards the hallway while he spoke, throwing me a 'come hither' look when he got to the part about controlling myself.

I arose and caught up with him as he reached the door to the bedroom I'd been in once before.

"Is that _really _what you want?" I asked, turning him to face me, firmly pushing him up against the door. "For me to _control _myself?" I dragged out the word 'control' while sliding my hand slowly between his thighs. He let out a gasp.

"Perhaps not..." He relented and I backed off enough for him to open the door and lead us into his room. He closed and locked it behind us, then grabbed ahold of my shirtfront and pulled. Our bodies crashed together, along with our mouths, and I felt his hands swiftly work the buttons of my shirt while his tongue battled with mine for dominance.

This hadn't exactly been what I meant when I'd said we should see where things took us, and it was probably wasn't the best idea to immediately jump back into bed with him, but I certainly wasn't going to start complaining, especially after what he'd said on the sofa.

I was up for whatever he was. Literally...

Jem's hands ran over my shoulders, slipping the white fabric off of them and letting it fall to the floor. Fingertips explored the newly exposed skin and I inadvertently whimpered when they brushed across my hardening nipples. Jem grinned into our kiss, presumably at my revealing my weakness. Those soft, skillful hands pleasantly tortured me as he guided us over the bed and I worked to remove _his _clothing. The shirt had been thrown off into some unseen corner and I'd gotten the button of his pants unfastened when the back of my knees came in contact with the mattress. I sat down on the edge of the bed and Jem climbed onto my lap, placing one knee on either side of me and grinding our arousals together. I tried to concentrate on kicking my shoes off (which took a lot more mental power than you would believe) and after several failed attempts I finally succeeded, after which we moved further onto the bed.

We were on our sides, legs intertwined, hands groping wildly. He tilted his head to give me better access and I sucked and nibbled at his pulse point; each graze of my teeth across his supple flesh caused Jem to grind our hips together more. My desire for him was growing too strong to be satiated with over-clothes fondling. I flipped him over onto his back and resumed my previous endeavor of removing his encumbering pants. They were quickly joined by my own, lying in a heap of the foot of the bed, lonely and unwanted.

The sight of Jem lying almost naked, aside from a pair of black boxers that contrasted sharply with the paleness of his skin, made my breath catch. I couldn't help marveling at the beauty of him, even though I'd already seen him before. His hair was tousled and his chest was rapidly rising and falling, matching the pattern of my own beating heart.

"If you're finished gawking," He rose up on his elbows which showed off the definition in his biceps quite nicely, "I can think of a few _other_ uses for that open mouth of yours." He reached down and hooked his delicate thumbs under the elastic of his boxers and pulled them down slowly, his eyes never leaving my face as I watched the reveal hungrily. He slid them to his knees and I finished the process for him before hastily removing my own.

I softly kissed my way up his thighs, enjoying the change in roles from the last time. Jem shuddered in anticipation as each kiss moved further and further up.

"William," Jem pleaded with that one word, begging me to move faster. I ignored him; instead positioning myself so that we were face to face.

"I want you to know that if you kick me out again there's only like a 60% chance I will come back next time." I told him sternly; making a joke out of my very real insecurity.

"Well then, the odds are still in favor." He smiled and reached his arm around my neck to pull me into a kiss. I resisted and Jem's expression turned serious.

"I'm sorry."

"And?" I was still in need of reassurance that I wasn't being a complete idiot here. Jem ran his fingers lightly along my jaw, studying my features.

"And, from this point on if it's up to me you won't be leaving my bed at all." His thumb traced the outline of my lips as he spoke. That was enough reassurance for me, but I couldn't help mocking.

"I thought we established earlier that your wishes carry very little weight in this relationship." His eyebrows rose at my use of the R-word, but he didn't correct it.

"I wouldn't say that; you _are_ naked are you not?"

I had a feeling that I would be seeing the smirk that was on his face many more times in our relationship's future. It was a smirk that said 'you're really not as clever as you think' and 'I win'.

And it was ridiculously handsome.

"Well if you're going to be so smug about it…" I sat up, as if making to leave. I couldn't set a precedent in letting him get away with it so early on. It wasn't as if I was _actually_ going to go anywhere. Hopefully he wouldn't call my bluff or he'd learn how easily he could wrap me around his delicate finger.

Jem rolled his eyes and reached for me; one arm wrapped behind my neck, the other my waist, pulling my body on top of his. The hand at my neck moved upwards, grasping at my hair and guiding my face closer to his.

"Just shut up and fuck me." Were the last coherent words spoken by either of us for a _while_.

* * *

Jem raised his arm over his head, his elbow bent. The way the sheet fell across the lower half of his body, his left leg bent over the side of it, exposed, his silver specked hair messy and falling into his eyes made him look like a model.

If my body hadn't been so newly exhausted I would have had a difficult time stopping myself from starting something. As it was, I was content to let my eyes wander lazily over the exquisite scene before me.

"What's this?" I traced my fingers along the large, thick black lines tattooed on the side of his ribcage. I'd wanted to ask him about it last time, but didn't exactly get the chance.

"It's a tattoo." He responded sarcastically. I vaguely wondered if there was ever a point at which the comebacks didn't come so readily for him, and if so, how I could get him to reach it.

"Really? I was sure it was an intricately formed birthmark." I continued to run my fingers over it lightly, moving further to the top of the piece, when he quickly grabbed my wrist and turned so that that part of him wasn't exposed anymore.

_Someone's ticklish._

I filed that piece of information away for future use and went back to my question.

"I _meant _what is it of?" He let go of my hand, but still lay in a defensive position, just in case.

"It represents fearlessness. My roommate and I got them when we first moved in here. It was his idea; I'd just turned eighteen and he was barely sixteen. We picked the most painful spots we could think of; being even scrawnier than I am now if you can believe that," I rolled my eyes at his description of himself. He was indeed slender, but definitely not scrawny by any means. There was a lot of perfectly toned muscle on that body. "I chose my ribs. He has boney feet so he chose the top of his left, I think. It may have been his right, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, it was supposed to be painful so that whenever we had to face something frightening, like moving into the city on our own, we could look back and think 'well, I made it through this, I can make it through anything.'" He laughed and ran his hand over the tattoo.

"And has it worked?" I inquired, finally allowed to put my arm around him again, though he was eyeing it suspiciously.

"In a way. I've been through a few things more painful than that, but this tattoo was the only one that I _chose_ to put myself through. That in and of itself lends a small sense of power to it. It was like a rite of passage of sorts for us; a first step on making our own decisions and controlling our own lives. Whenever I'm feeling like I have no control over things I remember that. I remember that I still have some choices left to me and that there was a point in my life in which I was fearless, if even for only a moment." He sighed and looked away, as if remembering less pleasant times when he'd needed the reminder. My grip tightened around his waist and I pulled him closer. It seemed to snap him out of his trance.

"Alec's gotten numerous other ones since then and has been trying to get me to get another, but I'm happy with just the one for now."

I didn't really care about how many tattoos his roommate had, in fact, I was getting a little sick of hearing about him. I know they live together and all, but I certainly don't talk about Magnus that much-

_Wait a second, did he say Alec?_

"This is going to sound strange, but your roommate isn't Alec Lightwood is he?" Magnus mentioned his tattoos just about every time he brought him up. They were black symbolic tribal looking things too.

"Yeah, do you know him?" Jem looked at me questioningly.

"Uh no, not formally, I know _of _him. He's going out with my roommate." Jem raised an eyebrow.

_Damn he is sexy. _

"You live with Magnus Bane?" Jem sat back a little, his facial expression now masked.

"Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids; used to be neighbors. Have you met him?" I was hoping he had; maybe Magnus would be less harsh in judging him if he knew that he was Alec's roommate.

"Just the once. He's very... Handsome." He sounded insecure.

"I supposed, if you're into that sort of thing. Personally, my preferences lie elsewhere..." I slowly raked my eyes down his body as I finished my sentence. I was rewarded with a blush and an eye roll.

"Good thing; I really can't pull off make-up." We both laughed and I grabbed him and started planting soft kisses all over his body.

He playfully pretended to fight me off until I reached his side; then it was no longer pretend.

"Will stop- I don't like that- WILLIAM!" He shouted at me while I dodged his slaps and tickled him relentlessly. I straddled him and grabbed both wrists, halting the onslaught of attacks. I pinned them behind his head with one hand and continued to tickle/torture with the other. He writhed beneath me.

"If you keep making this so enjoyable I may never stop." I smirked at him and he suddenly stopped the struggling that was grinding our naked bodies together, causing me to frown. "Let me rephrase that."

I leaned down and licked his slightly opened lips. "If you keep making this so enjoyable, I may _have _to stop."

He arched up and caught my mouth with his, sucking on my bottom lip before replying.

"I'll see what I can do..."

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**A/N: If I had given it enough forethought, I would have made Jem already be in a relationship with Tessa when he meets Will and then falls for him, but oh well. Hindsight is 20/20. I may write a TID AU with that plot line in the future though if I get the time. **


	18. How to Take a Hit Like a Pro

**Finally! This week has been very busy and it's only going to get worse, so I hopefully will be able to get chapters up in a decent amount of time, but there's likely to be spurts of very fast updating followed by large gaps, all dependent on my workload. **

**Anyway, this one is a little bit of essential filler. I'm really excited to post the next 3 chapters which I already have mostly written because I think you'll love them. **

**Thank you so much for sticking with me! I love you all to pieces :) **

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**Sunday October 7 Chapter 18 Magnus POV: How to Take a Hit Like a Pro. **

"Alright, essentially I just want to get some pictures of you guys goofing off and having fun. Don't look at the camera, don't even think about it. Just go hang out." I instructed the assembled group in front of me at the park. It was 2:00pm, Sunday afternoon and the weather was perfect to get my project done.

Alec was looking beautiful as always in an old faded black sweater and holey blue jeans (I hadtold him to dress casually). His sister was a little _too _dressed up for a day at the park, but I was sure it would look fine. Besides, those hot pink pants and silky cream colored blouse looked adorable on her. The heels _may _have been a bit much...

Jace was in nice fitted jeans and a tight t-shirt covered by a leather jacket and had spent a lot of time getting his hair to fall just right this morning. That was more for Clary than my little photo shoot though. The petite redhead had her hair pulled back in a long braid and was wearing jeans, converse, and a graphic tee with a long sleeved shirt under it. Aside from the scarf around her neck, she was dressed almost identical to Simon.

Jace had brought a football so they decided to play a game of 2v2 with Isabelle as ref, since she wasn't really dressed for running around and tackling. She sat on the swing set and watched the game from a safe distance, yelling fouls whenever they were needed, or whenever she felt like picking on Alec. Jace and Clary were on one team and my Alexander and Simon were on another.

It was like something otherworldly to watch Alec engaged in physical activity. He ran as fast as Jace, who'd won first place at every track meet in high school, and looked so graceful doing it. He also had an amazing arm for throwing, and catching for that matter. To be honest, it was really a game of football between Jace and Alec while Clary and Simon tried to keep up or simply distract one another from trying to intercept. Clary's height made it difficult for her to match the running pace and Simon's overall lack of coordination meant that the two friends spent a lot more time running around each other than anywhere near the ball.

I got some really great playful shots of the two of them; Clary sticking her tongue out at a cross-eyed Simon, Simon pulling on her braid, dodging a slap.

I turned the lens back to my sweet just in time to see him get knocked off his feet with a loud _thunk _by Jace, who'd rammed his shoulder into Alec's stomach. They both fell to the ground in a tangled heap of groans. I took a few shots while hurrying over to him, Isabelle not far behind. By the time we reached them they'd rolled off of each other; Alec clutching at his midsection while Jace held his shoulder.

"Jesus, Alec are you ok?!" His sister screamed, kneeling by his side.

He laid flat on his back, arms still around himself.

"I'll be ok."

She reached for his hand to pull him up but stopped abruptly at the queasy look on his face. He lay his head back down quickly. "I'm just gonna stay on this lovely flat ground for a minute or two. I think the shockwave from Jace's tackle had burst all of my internal organs." He said it while laughing (and then cringing), but I was still pissed at Jace for being so careless.

"Yeah, we'll I think you dislocated my shoulder. What the hell do you have under that shirt, steel plates?" Jace moaned, sitting up while massaging his arm softly.

"They're called abs Jace." I snapped, annoyed that he was trying to take attention away from my poor hurt Alexander, who was in the process of removing his sweater to reveal a lose white tee shirt underneath, groaning that it was too hot.

I couldn't help feeling smug and proud of how incredibly fit my –not yet, but probably soon to be- boyfriend was; even if he did still look likely to hurl at any moment.

Clary giggled and Jace glared at me. "I know what they are, I am a stunning example of the six-pack," he lifted his own shirt for emphasis, looking pointedly at Clary. I heard Simon groan as he rolled his eyes. "I just wasn't expecting it of _him."_

"What's that supposed to mean?" I was near to slapping him by this point.

"Hey guys, I'm nauseous, not dead. I can still hear you." Alec looked at both of us and we immediately stopped bickering. "Now if someone could be so brave as to help me up, I will try not to vomit on their shoes."

I slowly helped Alec to his feet; he looked a little winded but said he was fine other than that.

"I think we're done with football for the moment." He joked, motioning for everyone to disperse. Clary, Simon and Isabelle walked off to give him some space and Jace came over and put a hand on Alec's shoulder; an act that didn't make me cringe with jealousy.

_Honest_.

"I really am sorry about that Alec. I wasn't expecting you to turn around and I didn't mean to hit you with that much force."

"Accidents happen, that's why it's called a contact sport. Is your shoulder ok?" He was so caring. A little too caring for my taste, as I personally thought the brushing of his hand over Jace's injured shoulder was a bit much.

"Yeah, it'll probably take some heat tonight and be good as new by tomorrow. Don't worry about it." He _finally _removed his hand from Alec and walked over to Clary and Simon.

I came up beside Alec and put a possessive arm around his waist, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He looked over at Izzy uncomfortably, but when she had no reaction his body relaxed into my embrace.

"You're sure you're ok?" I asked him quietly.

"I'm fine Mags, don't worry about it. And stop being so angry at Jace, it was just an accident."

I would have protested if it wasn't for the fact that I was too shocked about his creation of a nickname for me. It was a simple, probably unconscious, gesture, but it felt like we'd reached a new level of closeness; like he was growing more comfortable with me.

I realized I was standing frozen, smiling at him, and muttered out a reply. "If that's what you want. But I still say he was being reckless." The smile vanished and was replaced by a frown when I replayed the horrid scene in my head.

He reached up with both hands and ran his fingers over my forehead, then moved to the corners of my mouth.

"Frowns are unbecoming on you." He glanced back to where his sister was swinging with her back towards us now and leaned forward, brushing his lips against mine. I smiled into it reflexively, unable to stay grumpy in such a situation.

He pulled away and ran his thumbs over my cheekbones before speaking. "Much better. Now go and take some more pictures, I'll be over there with Izz." He let go of me and walked over to the swings. I tore my gaze away, even though I could have watched him forever, and tried to regain my focus on the matter at hand: getting good shots. I zoomed in on Jace, Clary and Simon or- as I had started referring to them in my head- the bickering trio.

I had some really good pictures today. Not just for the assignment, but for my end of year portfolio as well. The sky was bright blue with white cotton ball clouds and the leaves were beautiful yellows, reds, and browns.

I took a break from my photography after a while and just looked around, taking in the beauty of it all.

Isabelle had removed her heels and was kicking her bare feet on the swings, trying to go higher than her big brother. They were such beautiful siblings. They were laughing and genuinely having a good time together. I used my zoom to get some good shots from far enough away that they wouldn't be distracted by my presence. I got an amazing picture when they jumped. Isabelle's raven strands blew about her face in the wind and she spread her arms out as if she were flying. Alec landed gracefully on his feet, a few inches past where his sister had come to a stop, also balanced. They talked for a few minutes then started chasing each other. I could tell Alec was letting her win, ever the good big brother. She cartwheeled out of his reach and stuck her tongue out. He charged and grabbed her in a big bear hug.

"Nice acrobatics." I applauded, tired of a lack of interaction.

"Thanks." Isabelle flashed me a grin and went into a backbend, turning it into a flip.

"Impressive!"

Alec snorted at her showing off.

"Don't be rude, that's pretty amazing." I chastised, standing behind him and putting my arms around his waist.

"He's just jealous cuz he can't do them anymore." Isabelle informed me in a smug, mocking tone.

"_Anymore?_ There was a time you could do that?" I asked, shocked. I was learning so much about Alexander today.

"I can _still _do that, I just don't have occasion for it, like, ever." He half mumbled.

"I bet you can't." His sister goaded. He rolled his eyes, not taking the bait.

"Nice try."

"C'mon Alec, I wanna see." I prompted, pouting at him. He wiggled out of my grasp, realizing I wasn't his ally on this, but I was not about to let it go.

Eventually, after numerous minutes more of relentless pleading and prodding by Izzy and myself he finally caved in to get us to shut up. He stretched a little then stepped away from us. He started off in a run then did some insane flipping combination that left mine and Isabelle's jaws open, sticking the landing perfectly.

Laughing at the expression on our faces (especially Isabelle's), he then did essentially the same thing backwards, landing right back where he'd started.

"Holy shit that was amazing." I heard Jace yell behind me. Alec's face was flushed, probably as much from the cold air as the compliment. He shrugged, trying to dispel the attention.

"I can't believe you can still do that so well." Isabelle spoke in awe and disbelief.

"I was forced into those classes for five years, it's all muscle memory now."

"Yeah, but you _had_ to have practiced since then. I took cheer leading all through high school afterwards and I'm still a little rusty sometimes." Isabelle sounded more than a little jealous at her big brother's lithe acrobatics.

"So I practice sometimes at the gym; what does it matter?" He was obviously getting agitated by her questioning.

"It doesn't I guess. I'm just impressed is all." She dropped the subject and I took the opening to get some clarification.

"So I take it you two took gymnastics when you were kids?" I asked.

"Izzy took gymnastics for five years and I was forced to accompany her because my parents thought she needed her big brother there to look after her." Alec shot his sister a mean look, taking a seat on the ground against a tree.

"Hey, I don't know why you're still complaining about that. You had the strongest upper body strength of any kid in your class. And it wasn't ballet like I really wanted, you're the one who won."

"Oh yeah, because a choice between gymnastics and ballet for a thirteen year old trying to figure out his sexuality is really a win." Alec quipped sarcastically. That caused all three of us the laugh.

"Whatever. You know you loved it. Especially when you got medals."

"There were medals?" I cut in, suddenly dying to hear the stories behind them.

"Ok this conversation is officially exhausted." Alec said hastily.

"No, it's definitely not." I countered, about to ask Isabelle to elaborate.

"Yes, it definitely is. Izzy stop talking; I have dirt on you too."

Isabelle mouthed "I'll tell you later" behind his back, but conceded to his request out loud. I smiled triumphantly, barely able to wait for our next after class session at the Starbucks.

"I think I have enough pictures to choose from if you want to go ahead and leave." I told her, noticing the time. Alec, who had his eyes closed, opened them and looked at me questioningly. "Not you darling. I'm kidnapping _you. _But the girl is free to go." Isabelle giggled and gave us both quick hugs. "Thank you so much for your help." I expressed to her.

"No problem. It was a lot of fun. Let me know if you ever need me to do it again." She went over to Jace, Clary, and Simon and I took a seat next to Alec.

"So what are your plans for me, oh kidnapper?" He joked, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise, but it involves a lot of rope and handcuffs..." We both laughed heartily, though I must say that could think of many a real plan involving handcuffs and my favorite blue eyed boy.

We sat together and watched as the rest of our group gathered their things to leave. Simon was trying to show Isabelle how to throw a football properly (which, was strange because from what id witness he didn't know how himself) and she was failing at it miserably. It may have had something to do with the fact that the entire time he was talking she was concentrating on flirting, not learning.

"They make a cute couple. Strange, but cute." I commented, watching as Isabelle finally grow frustrated of the football and chuck it at its owner while Clary and Simon tried to hide their amusement.

"I dunno; I mean he's obviously into her, but she clearly only has eyes for Jace."

"I'm not sure the world could handle Jace an Isabelle as a couple. That much vanity in one relationship is bound to tear a rift in the universe." I teased, knowing that it was highly likely we were talking about two different couples. He obviously hadn't been paying much attention to the scene.

"What?! Why are you talking about my sister dating Jace?!" Apparently, though he chided me for speaking ill of the golden boy, he didn't want him anywhere _near_ his baby sister.

"_I _wasn't. I was talking about Isabelle and Simon. _You _said she wanted to be with Jace."

"I thought you were talking about Clary and Simon." He shook his head as if trying to clear horrible mental images from it. "Simon's not her type. He's too...nerdy. And infatuated with his best friend." He added, watching the four of them walk away, Jace with his arm around Clary, a brooding Simon and talking Izzy behind.

"You never know. Sometimes you don't fall for the person you're expecting to." I smiled at him while I intertwined our fingers. He blushed and smiled back.

"So what does the kidnappee want to do for the next few hours? I can't stay out late because I need to get these photos uploaded and organized, but I'm yours until the sun goes down."

"I don't care as long as it involves some hot chocolate. It's getting cold." Alec declared, pulling his sweater back on and rubbing his arms. I laughed heartily and stood up, pulling him up along with me.

"Come on, there's a lovely cafe a block from here."

We walked hand in hand to the cafe, laughing about various moments in the day.

Our one cup of hot chocolate turned into a plate of pumpkin spice scones and two and a half hours of contented chitchat. He elaborated a bit on the story of his forced gymnastics training and explained his skill at football- apparently his middle and high school afternoons were spent on every sports team possible; trying to be the "man" his father wanted him to be. It was a wonder the boy ever slept at all during his adolescence, being that he was also taking numerous AP classes and started earning college credits early once in high school.

I loved listening to his stories about his childhood. Despite the occasional tint of sadness or disappointment- generally caused by his father- he had a rather full and joyous one. Something I hadn't been blessed with. I could relate to his high school days somewhat because that was when things had started to take a turn for the better; and yet we'd still had very different experiences there. He could probably related better to Will who had spent his time with his nose stuck in books. I'd been experiencing and socializing.

I tried to skim over the details of my extracurricular activities, noticing the distinct look of discomfort when I mentioned parties and dating. It was obvious it would be some time before I would be sharing any of those memories with him; if ever. I couldn't decide whether it was cute and endearing that the thought of me with someone else upset him so much, or whether it was just juvenile. He would have to come to terms with it at some point or another. Still, I hastily changed the subject anyway, not wanting to ruin our budding relationship before it even got off the ground properly.

"Are you going to be busy tomorrow?" I'd had to suffer through an entire week without having time to see or talk to him hardly at all; I didn't care if it sounded needy, I wanted to spend all of my newly acquired free time with him, as midterms would be coming up soon and then we'd both be too busy breathe let alone date.

"Sadly. I'm supposed to be making study guides for Stevens' midterms, which means that I will most likely be revising the half-finished tests that he's come up with so far. I'll probably end up being in the office all night."

He looked almost as disappointed as I felt.

"There's always Tuesday." I suggested.

"Possibly."

I glanced out the window at the sinking sun and grimaced. I really needed to get my project organized and finished. His gaze followed mine.

"Looks like our time is up." He sighed.

We gathered our things and walked slowly back to my car, milking every last moment together. We made tentative plans to see each other again Tuesday night on the car ride back to his apartment, then took our time saying goodbye.

After spending the bulk of the day watching him run around like a god showing off his masculinity (and flexibility), a few heated kisses proved achingly ineffective at quelling my hunger for him, but it would have to do for the time being. I wanted nothing more than the opportunity to run my tongue over every single one of those taut muscles that my hands were currently caressing. The idea was making it difficult for me to force myself to stop.

Luckily Alec's devotion to good grades gave him willpower that was ever-lacking on our previous dates.

"You should go work on your assignment." He told me breathlessly as he disentangled himself from my grip. "I'll text you later." With a squeeze of my hand and a small peck on the cheek he was gone and I headed home, unsatisfied and longing once again.


	19. What To Do For an SOS

**Yay quick update! I finished my French presentation early, so I rewarded myself by working on this. The next chapter was written ages ago so I'll probably be nice and update that one very soon. After that who knows when I'll be able to write again. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own What Not to Wear or TMI/TID. **

**Again, thank you everyone who reads and thank you soooooooo much everyone who reviews. I love to get them even if it's just to say you like/dislike the new addition so keep it up pleeeeeeeaaaassseeee. **

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**Monday October 8 Chapter 19: What to Do For an SOS. **

**Will's POV:**

"Hey, let's go out to dinner." I suggested to Magnus when I got home from work Monday night. He was lying on the couch with that devil fluffball of his watching _What Not to Wear_.

"Alright." He clicked the television off and turned his attention to me. "Are we celebrating something or do you just not want to cook?" It was a fair question as there was an equal chance for both to be correct.

"Celebrating, in a way. And I'd like the chance to spend some time with my best friend. That new boy toy of yours is monopolizing all of your time nowadays." I grumbled, kicking my shoes off at the door and plopping down into a chair. I'd been on my feet since 8 am and they were exhausted.

"Says the man who spent last week moping around in his bedroom, then stayed out ALL day Thursday and snuck in late Friday night. Yeah," he added, catching the surprised look on my face, "I noticed."

"Midnight isn't that late; at least not for people without bedtimes." I recovered with a joke about Alec's age because I knew it got under Magnus's skin. He was only a few years younger than us, so it really wasn't a big deal, I just thought it was hilarious how touchy Magnus got when I pointed out that it was still two years before he could even legally drink. Or, as he reminded me every time, a year and a couple months.

I took a pillow to the face for that remark, but it was worth it.

"So are you going to tell me where you've been sneaking off to then? Hopefully to someone more deserving of your presence this time around."

I got up quickly and headed for my room; now was not the time to bring that up, I wanted to spend dinner talking Jem up in hopes that he would change his opinion of the man before I revealed that we were now dating.

"Over dinner. I'm gonna go take a quick shower; start putting on your make up." I yelled over my shoulder.

Half an hour later we were sitting at a bar sharing an appetizer of mozzarella sticks while we waited for our dinner. Honestly, it was a wonder of nature that Magnus is as skinny as is he is. I spend extra hours at the gym to work off my indulgences, he just goes for a jog every once in a blue moon and doesn't gain a pound. It was the kind of natural gift that made you want to hit him every now and then.

We'd gotten dressed up for a night on the town, despite the fact that neither of us had any intention of picking anyone up. We both had someone to go home to now. Figuratively, that is.

Magnus was in a cheerful enough mood to choose lemon yellow to be his theme for the night. The pants he wore would have been blindingly painful to look at one anyone else, but somehow the man pulled them off. They matched the new yellow streaks in his hair that he was trying out. It was very likely they'd be a new shade by Wednesday; Magnus gets bored easily and likes to match far too much to keep one offensively bright color in for too long. His makeup was equally as loud as the pants and his shirt was essentially a second skin it was so tight, though at least it was a less blinding color.

I'd decided on a deep emerald button up with a white vest and similarly colored pants. We were quite a sight, if I do say so myself.

I took a sip of my beer and decided to test the waters.

"Hey, so you've met Alec's roommate right?" I led in.

"Yeah, just the once."

"What do you think of him?" I hoped my casual tone wouldn't give anything away until I was ready. I wanted an honest opinion untainted by the events of the last week and a half.

Magnus took a sip of his ice tea and pondered for a moment.

"I don't know. Seems like the quiet, aloof type."

"Sure you're not confusing him with Alec?" I jested, just to get on his nerves as he munched on his fourth mozzarella stick. He made an unattractive face at me.

"I don't think we've said more than a handful of words to each other. Though, I'm pretty sure he was in cahoots with Isabelle to get Alec and me alone for the first time, so he gets points for that. But he did also interrupt our evening by coming back home, so he loses points there. Why are you asking?" He seemed to have finally realized that this was a strange line of questioning.

"You know that patient I was telling you about?"

"The jackass?"

"He's not a jackass." I defended. This was not a good sign.

"We can agree to disagree on that point. Continue."

"Well, they just so happen to be one and the same." Magnus almost choked on the food in his mouth.

"That's not possible. Jem seemed so... Nice. And quiet. Are you sure it's the same Jem?"

"He _is _nice and yes, I'm sure. Though, he definitely isn't quiet..." Magnus grimaced at me.

"Eww. I didn't need to hear that."

"Just because you're not getting any doesn't mean I have to remain celibate in camaraderie." I really needed to work on my tendency for snide comebacks. I definitely wasn't putting him in a good mood to hear Jem's case, as he now looked as if he was going to dump his drink in my lap. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I actually do think it's good that you're taking things slow for once." I made my face look as apologetic as I could and he finally caved.

"Apology accepted. So, back to this Jem thing. Are you entirely sure you should be giving the guy a second chance? It's very unlike you."

"I know, and generally I wouldn't, but Jem's... different." I wasn't sure how best to describe it without going into the whole story and sharing details that were private and not mine to share. I hoped Magnus could just take my word for it, but I knew better than that.

**Magnus POV:**

"Will, just because he's the first guy, the first _person_, you've been attracted to since Tessa doesn't mean that he's anything special or that you should put up with being treated like that. I know it's been a rough couple of months, but you don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, as the saying goes." I saw him flinch at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name, but someone had to say it. I couldn't help but feel that this whole thing with his patient was just a belated rebound that was going to do him more harm than good. And it was obvious to me that, despite that bullshit excuse about not wanting Will to mess up his job for him, Jem didn't have my friend's best interests at heart.

"It's not like that. I don't know how to describe it, but something _is _different with Jem. I felt more comfortable around him after two weeks than I did with Tessa in two _years_."

Our conversation was interrupted by the delivery of our entrees, so I held my tongue and eyed him suspiciously until our appetizer plate was cleared away and our waitress had left us to enjoy our meals.

"You seemed pretty sure of things during the first couple months with Tess too, if I recall properly. It's called infatuation."

"Oh you mean the thing your relationship with Alec is based off of?" He snapped back. I should have expected it; Will hates being criticized over anything, especially matters of the heart, and discussing Tessa always puts him in a bad mood. Yet, it still stung me deeply. More deeply than he could have realized.

I'd spent the last several nights pondering over that same question; wondering if what I was feeling was real or simply an extension of my lustful longings towards him. I couldn't believe that it wasn't real, especially since I was experiencing so many more emotions aside from lust; new emotions: jealousy, compassion, contentment... happiness.

That was the thing though; all of this was new to me. I wanted to tell myself that all of my fortnight long relationships had made me immune to the effects of infatuation, or at least had schooled me in it enough to know that this was different, but how would I know? Yes, I felt differently about Alec that I had about anyone else, but did that mean it was real or just that it was slightly more real than the others? Or maybe this was what everyone felt when they didn't jump into bed after introductions. I had absolutely no basis for comparison.

I was lost.

"It's not." I managed to get out in some sort of cracked whisper-like tone. Will, who'd been studying his steamed broccoli the whole time, looked up at me and his features immediately softened. He reached out and took my hand.

"Hey, something going on I should know about?"

I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak at the moment.

He put his arm around my shoulder.

"You know I don't really think that."

"But what if it's true? How do I know I'm not just feeling what I would feel with anyone I gave more than a week to? What if there's nothing special about this at all?" My insecurities burned like acid when I spoke them, but I desperately wanted a second opinion.

"I think sometimes you forget how long I've known you. I'm not sure if you've realized it or not, but you are almost a completely different person since you met Alec. Not like he's changing you in a bad way or anything, you're just, happier than I've ever seen you. Genuinely happy, not the kind of happy that can be acquired with drugs or alcohol or instant gratification. Whatever your relationship with Alec is becoming, it's good for you."

I hugged him tightly, thankful for the reassuring words.

"So you don't think it's a bad idea if I ask him to be my boyfriend?" I don't know why I was so scared of that prospect. I loved spending time with Alec, loved talking to him and hanging out with him, loved kissing him and being touched by him. For some reason though, I was terrified to make it official. Possibly because then it would be even worse if I somehow screwed it up. I hadn't had a _real _boyfriend, or girlfriend for that matter, in a very long time and I wasn't sure I deserved to be Alec's.

"Of course it's not a bad idea. How can spending time with a person who makes you happy be a bad idea?" It sounded like a trick questions and it was likely he was trying to direct the conversation back to him and Jem. I considered my answer carefully.

"I suppose it can't be, as long as the person is a good, kind, honest person who is treating you well and you trust would never hurt you."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Or as long as you can be forgiving of any misunderstandings that may come up and willing to hear out the explanations."

We were at a stalemate and we both knew it.

"Can you agree to accept my judgment as sound if I agree to keep a cautious mind about Jem's future actions towards me?" He finally asked. I thought it over, and seeing as how there was really nothing I could say to get him to see reason, I relented. This dinner was supposed to be enjoyable and all we'd done so far was gripe at each other and wallow in our insecurities.

"Deal. Now come on, let's talk about something more cheerful shall we?"

We launched into a conversation about my classes and the photo shoot yesterday, which inevitably included more discussion of Alec, and a rant about Will's reckless brother. He just laughed at my fierce defense of Alec.

Around nine something the waitress came to take our empty plates away and Will got up to go to the bathroom. He'd barely gotten up when a girl, who was obviously more than a little drunk, sidled up and sat on his barstool.

"Hi," she smiled at me and flipped her hair.

"Hey," I answered, trying not to sound encouraging, but also not wanting to be rude.

"I don't usually do this," she began, meaning she likely did it often, "but, you're really cute and I was hoping we could go someplace more private and get to know each other a little better." She leaned forward so that her bosom was practically spilling out of her top and she was biting her lip, which only served to remind me of how attractive that habit was when Alec did it. It didn't look quite right on her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm actually seeing someone." I told her, feeling a little sorry for her that she'd wasted her bravery on me.

Instead of leaving gracefully as I'd expected, she moved even closer.

"She doesn't have to know."

I laughed a little at her assumption.

"I don't think _he _would appreciate that very much." She looked put out for about half a second, then shrugged, still not leaving. This was going to take more effort, I needed Will.

I took my phone out and texted **SOS **to him.

"So how about it? A little harmless fun to stave off the boredom of a Monday night? You'd obviously rather be out drinking than back home, so why not kill a few more hours with me?" One had to admire that kind of persistence, even if it was annoying as hell.

I was trying to come up with another way of saying no that would actually sink in this time when I felt Will's arms slide around my waste.

Thank the gods.

I turned my head slightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering "thank you" in his ear as quietly as I could so she wouldn't hear.

"I'm gone for five minutes and you find a replacement! Whatever am I to do with you?" He tilted his head down and returned the cheek kiss and adding a nuzzle for effect. When his mouth moved to my neck she finally took the hint and huffed off, as if _I _was the one being inappropriate. Will laughed and let go of me.

"Ick you should stop putting so much cologne on your neck, it makes you taste disgusting." He took a sip of his beer to wash the taste away.

"Well I wasn't expected to be molested tonight, thanks for that by the way. I don't usually put it there when I'm going out with Alec."

He took his seat again and we perused the dessert menu. This ridiculous night would not be complete without a large helping of chocolate.

When we returned home some hours later I was in a cheerful mood. The last hour had been spent talking about Alec and my plans for our future.

That cheerful mood was shattered, however, when I walked down the hall towards my bedroom and noticed the odd sight in Jace's open bedroom.

Alexander, _my Alexander, _passed out in bed. Without his pants on.


	20. How to Get the Wrong Idea

**Well, that last chapter has had the most reviews so far and, as I expected, almost all of them were along the lines of "WHAT?!" Cliff hangers are fun! But only for special occasions, I don't want to utilize that trick too much or people will want to kill me. And that's no good at all :p**

**Here is the conclusion/continuation of the night out on the town. To those of you who guessed what's about to happen: good job :) I thought I was being so cunning.. I hope you all like this almost 5000 word chapter; it got a bit out of hand. But it is all essentially to the plot! **

**Thank you for your reviews! Let me know if this is what you were hoping would happen.**

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**Chapter 20 Monday October 8 Alec POV: How to Get the Wrong Idea**

It was half past nine by the time I finally finished up with Stevens. I had made up study guides to all of his midterms, which also meant _making_ his midterms in some instances. I'd barely eaten anything all day, being so caught up in my work, so I stopped in the first decent looking restaurant I passed on the walk back to my car. It was a nice place, with booths and a bar and a little area for a live band. I'd never been here before, but I had seen how crowded it could get on a Saturday night, so I assumed it must be somewhat good. Right as I was about to take my seat I glanced over to the bar and a flash of glitter caught my eye.

It was Magnus, looking as striking as ever. His hair was spiked up into his signature gelled points, the tips of which were colored yellow and coated in glitter. I wasn't sure whether he'd dyed it or it was some kind of special gel, but it matched the bright leather pants he was wearing.

My heart leapt when I saw him and I immediately had the urge to go say hello. That is, until I noticed that he was talking with some girl. I couldn't see the expression on his face to tell whether it was a friend or some random stranger, but as I watched a dark haired, blue eyed man who looked somewhat older than me, and was much more nicely dressed than I ever am, came over and put his arms around Magnus's waist.

My stomach turned.

_Calm down Alec, maybe it's not what you think. Just go talk to him. _

I had almost convinced myself of that too when Magnus tilted his head up and gave the man a kiss on the cheek, whispering in his ear afterwards; the man said something that I couldn't hear and kissed him back. From the angle I was at I couldn't tell whether it was on the mouth or cheek, but it lasted longer than Magnus's had.

I felt like I was going to be sick. My heart started racing so hard it hurt and I could tell I was on the verge of a major meltdown. I needed to get out of there, especially because he was now working on Magnus's neck and I wasn't sure I could handle seeing anymore.

_Just once, I wish I was the type to make a scene._ I wanted to go up to them and throw Magnus's martini in his face. I wanted to hit one of them. Or both of them. To yell, to scream, to do anything but turn around and leave.

But I couldn't. My brain is too good and talking me out of those kinds of situations. Firstly, Magnus and I weren't actually officially boyfriends yet. We'd been out on dates, sure, but we hadn't said the actual words. We hadn't even talked about being exclusive. I just assumed that because I was, he was. But maybe we weren't on the same page about that. Maybe he was keeping his options open until we had something more concrete.

_But how can you develop a committed relationship when you're seeing other people on the side? _

_Maybe I'm being old fashioned._ _Or just really possessive_. _Do I even have the right to be mad at him? _

I felt like I did, but I wasn't sure.

I couldn't stand the thought of talking to Izzy about this, 1. Because then I would have to say it out loud and admit that I'd been so stupidly foolish to trust him, and 2. I wouldn't be able to handle it if she took his side and confirmed my innermost fears that this was my fault because I hadn't let him know what I wanted sooner. He couldn't be expected to follow the guidelines if he didn't know them, could he?

I stormed off down the sidewalk heading for Taki's, a favorite diner among students because they never carded and had really cheap, delicious food.

Not that I was going for the food. My stomach was still in knots; any thoughts of being hungry were gone now. My whole body had gone cold, I was shivering uncontrollably. Thank god it was actually cold outside or I would've looked insane with my arms wrapped tightly around my body and my teeth chattering. I would not cry though. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could if I'd wanted to. I was in a sort of shocked/wounded state, my brain rationalizing my pain away and leaving me with pure anger and disgust, directed at myself, Magnus, and the guy he was with.

I took a seat in a corner and ordered the first thing alcoholic I found on the menu. The waitress said it'd be up shortly and left me to my misery.

_Maybe it's because we haven't done anything __intimate__ yet._ I thought, miserably.

I mean, what we had done so far had felt extremely intimate to _me_, but it wasn't anything that could be considered fulfilling, especially not for someone like Magnus. We'd ended every make out session abruptly before it could get that far. It's not as if I hadn't been thinking about it though; I had, a lot in fact, and I'd decided after Friday night in the park that I was ready to move onto the next stage. Not actual sex yet; I still wasn't quite ready for that (and at the moment I was certainly glad we hadn't gone that far), but other things... Involving mouths and such...

Maybe that was why he was with this other guy, who happened to look an eerie amount like me. _Perhaps their relationship is purely physical to make up for the lack of it in our relationship._

That thought made my stomach ache worse and my heart speed up as if it were trying to compete with a hummingbird.

When my vodka came, (something called a Crimson Coma that tasted like raspberries and soda and a LOT of vodka) I downed it in one sip and ordered two more.

The tension in my body eased up a bit once the alcohol kicked in. The anger was subsiding to grief as the realization that I no longer had Magnus started to kick in.

_I shouldn't have let myself be that happy_, I thought bitterly. _Every time something amazing happens to me, something equally as horrible surely follows. I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop; why did I fool myself into thinking this time it would be different._

Three more mind-numbing drinks later I heard my name being called from somewhere close. My head was resting on my arms which were folded in front of me, and I didn't immediately recognize the voice, so I had to look up.

_Room, please stop spinning. You're making me sick._

When my eyes came back into focus from having sat up too fast, I recognized the golden haired boy who was now taking a seat across from me.

"Hey Jace." I tried not to slur my words then finished off my fifth Crimson Coma wishing that it would hurry up and live up to its name. I just wanted to sleep and forget about everything, for as long as possible.

"Alec, are you drunk?" He looked surprised, but approving. He was always trying to get my sister and Clary to go out and drink with him. Something that didn't make me his biggest fan. Though his stunning good looks balanced out my dislike pretty well.

"Sadly not drunk enough." I managed to mumble, looking forlorn at my now empty glass.

"Hey, what's wrong? You don't usually drink like this, do you?" He'd finally noticed how horrible I looked apparently. _Good job Jace, very perceptive. _

"Nothing. And everything. Just leave me alone."

"Do you want me to call someone? Izzy, or Magnus-" I grabbed his hand, harder than I'd meant to, when he reached for his phone.

"No! Don't you dare call _him. He_ is the last person on earth I want to talk to. Just leave it, alright?"

Jace being Jace, he didn't just leave it.

"Why? I thought you two were hitting it off. He's your boyfriend, right?" I glared at him.

_I wonder how much trouble I would get in if I threw this glass at him..._

"Wrong. Magnus is _not_ my boyfriend, because if he _were _my boyfriend he wouldn't be out screwing my lookalike right now would he?" I snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, hang out a minute. What? Why do you think he's cheating on you? I've known the guy forever Alec, he wouldn't do that." Jace looked genuine enough in his statement, but I know what I saw.

"It's not cheating. Can't be cheating when there aren't any rules." My drunken mind explained. "And you're wrong. I saw him kissing another guy; he looked like me, but it wasn't me, therefore, he is not now, nor will he ever be, my boyfriend." I almost started crying when those last words left my mouth. This was exactly why I didn't go to Izzy's. I didn't want to talk about this. I didn't want to say it out loud because then it would be true and I would be alone. Without the man who made me happier than I can ever remember being.

"I'm not sure what you think you saw, but I think you should come home with me and we can get this all sorted out. I promise." He motioned for the waitress to get me my check, even though I hadn't agreed to that plan at all.

I didn't want to go home with Jace. Despite his getting-prettier-by-the-minute face. I just wanted to stay here a wallow in my pain.

I can't say I minded all that much when he reached in my pocket to grab my wallet though. He was really close, and _really _good looking.

And I was _really _drunk.

So I allowed him lead me out of the diner and help me into his car. My racing heart had slowed to a dull thud; as long as I didn't think about _him _or hear _his _name it wouldn't start racing again. I was feeling too hot now, instead of too cold; courtesy of the vodka I'm sure, and my stomach was still doing somersaults, but that was to be expected.

He drove us to row house in the city. I vaguely remembered Magnus saying he lived somewhere around here, but even just thinking his name hurt, so I stopped, focusing instead on getting up the four front stairs without falling on my face. The firm grip on my arm helped me with that a lot more than my feet did. Jace unlocked the door and led me to the couch, going to the kitchen to pour us two glasses of water.

I laid my head against the sofa's back cushion and closed my eyes. The world was spinning and all I wanted was to go to sleep. I took a deep breath, trying to fight back the wave of nausea that was creeping up on me. That's when I smelled it.

Or rather, _him. _Magnus. The pillow smelled like Magnus. Well, to be more accurate, it smelled like sandalwood and vanilla, but that was the scent I'd come to know and love and associate with my almost, now _ex-_almost, boyfriend.

The tears fell before I even had a chance to try to stop them. I pulled my knees into my chest and rested my forehead on them, not being able to stand smelling that scent anymore. The tears stung my hot cheeks as they fell, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop even if I'd wanted to. The world was closing in on me and it was all I could do to manage breathing.

I heard Jace say my name again and felt his arm around my shoulder, but I couldn't answer him. I couldn't speak. All I could do was cry.

A hand was moving up and down my back; soothing, comforting. Jace was trying to talk to me, telling me to listen to him and not to be upset, but I couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. Why was he mentioning his brother? What did he have to do with anything? I assumed he was just trying to get my mind off of things, but it wasn't working. The words were getting jumbled in my brain and I couldn't put them back in their proper order.

Everything was out of order.

I needed to cry, to scream, to...hurl...

I felt that tell-tale warning in the back of my throat; my mouth watering, stomach clenching.

My hand clapped over my mouth and Jace stopped talking.

"You ok?"

I stood up unsteadily, and made my way for one of the doors in the hallway, grasping wildly for a handle that would lead to where I needed to go. Unfortunately, it was a bedroom, not the bathroom.

There _was_ a trashcan though.

As I fell to my knees in front of it I heard Jace yelling "Hey! That's my room!" as he followed me in. He cursed loudly when he saw me, but I really couldn't muster up the emotion to care.

I should've known better than to order vodka. It's the only alcohol I've ever gotten sick off of and it burns just as much coming up as it does going down. After a few minutes I stopped heaving. My nose and throat felt like they were on fire and my stomach felt as if it had been turned inside outwards, but at least I wasn't nauseous anymore. I wasgetting a bad headache though.

When I was sure there was no immediate risk of a repeat stomach emptying, I reached out for something soft to lay my head on and found that I was mere inches from a nice warm bed.

_Now if only I had some way of getting all the way up there,_ I thought from my place on the floor.

It took much mental effort to convince my legs to work, but I finally made it...with Jace's help. He'd removed the trash can from his room and replaced it with another, I assumed from the bathroom, still cursing me up one side and down the other. He threw a Colgate _wisp_ at me, which I managed to use without gagging and toss somewhere _near_ the trash can, and removed my shoes for me and pulled the blanket up around my shoulders, as I had begun to shiver again.

I vaguely remember him leaving the room, telling me he was going to leave the door open in case I fell out of bed or something, and then I was out.

Sometime later, I don't know when, but the sun wasn't up yet, I was awakened by banging and shouting.

"Jace Herondale, what the _HELL_ is my boyfriend doing in _your_ bed without his pants on?"

I looked down at myself.

_When did I take my pants off? _ The blanket had been thrown to the floor along with my jeans, though thankfully my boxers remained in place. I must've gotten too hot at some point. I couldn't remember anything about how I'd ended up in a strange bed without pants for a minute. Then it all came back to me in a torrent and I wished I could forget again.

"He says he's not your boyfriend." I heard Jace reply casually.

I sat up and felt like someone hit me in the temple with a hammer.

_I'm never drinking again._

I heard what sounded like someone running and then another voice I didn't recognize yelling stop.

"He saw you and Will somewhere and now he thinks you're cheating on him. He was too drunk to listen to me explain it, so I thought you could when you got home. He says he saw you two kissing, but I'm guessing he's over exaggerating, because, eww. I didn't realize he was going to throw up all over my stuff and pass out in my bed. If I had, I would've directed him to your room." Jace sounded like he was yelling from the kitchen, but I could hear Magnus snarl at him from somewhere very near. "As for the pants thing, I had nothing to do with that. He was clothed when I left him."

I needed to get up.

I needed to put my pants back on and get up.

I'd just managed to get them zipped up (the button and belt buckle were invented by the devil I tell you! God only knows how I managed to get them off in the first place) when Magnus walked in.

I swallowed hard. Acutely aware of the fact that I likely looked like shit. I felt like shit. And this was the last person on earth I wanted to see right now.

"Jesus Alec, how much did you have to drink?" Magnus looked concerned and came over to put his arms around me. I stepped back.

He looked hurt. Really hurt. Part of me wanted to apologize, wanted to put my arms around his neck and tell him how much I wanted to be with him and how much I cared about him, but I didn't. I couldn't. Not after what he'd done.

I didn't know what Jace had been talking about, but I didn't care. He was friends with Magnus, trying to defend him to me, but he couldn't be defended. Not for that.

"Just don't." I said, picking my shoes up from the edge of the bed where Jace had left them. I felt dizzy when I stood back up. I tried to walk passed Magnus to the door but he grabbed my arm; my flesh felt as though it was burning where he contacted it.

"Let me go." I was getting angrier as more time passed and my memory became less cloudy. I just kept seeing him smiling when that guy put his arm around his waist. Seeing him kiss that cheek.

"Alec wait, Jace told me what happened. You got the wrong idea." He let go of my arm, but closed the door behind him and stood in front of it so that if I wanted to leave I had to get him to move.

"What idea exactly _should_ I have gotten when I saw you flirting with, and _kissing_, another man?" I practically growled at him.

He _chuckled_.

I wanted to slap him. I would have too if I didn't think the sudden motion of stepping forward and reaching out would send me into a spiral of nausea again. Talking about all of this wasn't helping on that front either.

"Well, that _is_ the idea we generally want people to have, but not you. If I had seen you I would've explained." He stepped forward tentatively and I was too dizzy to move out of his way again.

"I don't want to hear your bullshit explanations Magnus." I yelled angrily, sitting down on the bed before I fell over. "How _could _you? After everything I told you in the park? I thought you of all people would have the common decency to end it after that if you weren't looking for something committed. I guess that whole cliché about daughters dating men like their fathers applies if you're gay as well."

He stared at me, open mouthed, as if the seriousness of the situation had finally sunk in. I couldn't blame him for his shock though; the harshness of my words had certainly surprised me as well, but there was no stopping them now that they'd started.

"Is it because I'm not ready to have sex? Is that it? Because you said you were fine with the pace we were moving at. _Happy _even and if-"

"Alec no, stop _please!_" He cut me off, kneeling in front of me so that our faces were more level. "_I didn't cheat on you. _Please believe me. I would never, ever do that, especially not to you. I care about you so ridiculously much and, no I wasn't thinking, but I promise you there is nothing like that going on between Will and me. He is my roommate and best friend, but that's it." He explained in earnest.

"Sometimes when we go out and want to be left alone we pretend to be together so that we don't have to deal with being hit on all night or whatever; it started back in our senior year of high school and the routine just kind of stuck." He ran a worrying hand through his hair and I can't honestly say that I didn't take some pleasure in seeing the pain in his features.

"So you're excuse is that the two of you are just _so_ incredibly attractive that you can't go one night without people throwing themselves at you, so you pretend to be together so you can have a _normal_ dinner?" I spat incredulously. He sounded entirely genuine, but I'd gotten myself so worked up that it felt like I was giving in if I forgave him that easily. Granted, if he hadn't actually done anything _wrong_ then it wouldn't be forgiving so much as getting my facts straight.

And if I was being completely honest with myself his explanation did make sense. He'd talked about Will before and Jace had said he stayed with his brother sometimes to get away from his aunt and uncle, so there was no doubt that that was who the mystery man was. And Izzy had mentioned doing the same thing sometimes with whatever friend was near when she was getting hit on by creeps.

I felt like an idiot; which didn't quell my anger one bit.

He gave a pained laugh. It sounded so beautiful and heartbreaking.

"When you put it that way..." He reached out to brush a piece of hair out of my eyes. My skin felt hot where he touched it, but I didn't swat him away; even though the thought crossed my mind. "It's not _exactly_ like that; not tonight at least. We were just having some drinks, talking about _you_ I might add, when this drunk girl came over to the bar and started flirting with me. I politely told her that I was flattered, but taken, but that apparently didn't bother her so Will intervened so she'd take the hint. That was it. In hindsight, we should have just moved seats, and next time we will. Neither of us thought anything of it and we certainly didn't mean to hurt you." His hands were clutching at my knees, like he was holding on to me for dear life.

"Where did he kiss you?" I asked abruptly. I needed to know before I could decide whether I considered his mistake cheating or just really thoughtless.

"What?"

"You heard the question. I saw you kiss him on the cheek and he turned around and kissed you back. Where was it? I couldn't see from where I was." I looked him straight in the eyes. "Do not lie to me about this."

"He just kissed me back on the cheek. I swear, you can go ask him if you want. We don't take it that far. Alec, he's like a brother to me; kissing him is like when you kiss Isabelle."

"I _don't _kiss Isabelle like _that_."

"I meant it's emotionally the same; despite the acting involved."

"The two of you have unquestionably missed your calling as actors then, because the way he was nuzzling you and plastering his mouth all over your neck certainly didn't look like an act to me. At least not one the two of you weren't enjoying." I wanted to believe him, I really did. But I couldn't get that image out of my mind.

"Alexander, please believe me that it wasn't like that. I would never intentionally do anything that would risk me losing you. You're far too important to me."

I considered his argument silently, staring at the wall behind him while I felt his eyes boring through me to my soul.

"I'm so incredibly sorry I made you think I wasn't being faithful darling. I would _never_ do that to you. I promise. Can you forgive me?"

He reached up and took hold of my face so that I was looking him in the eyes.

I felt like crying again and I felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions, freaking out over nothing. Yes, his actions had been stupid, but I didn't believe that they were malicious in any way. He was just acting from experience; not thinking. And it wasn't as if he was _actually _doing anything with Will. If I could believe his excuse, then he was actually doing the opposite of what my furious mind had assumed.

I hated admitting to myself how much I wanted him, _needed_ him. Dependence on others has never been something I was fond of, and yet, here I was, falling to pieces because I'd let myself need him and thought he'd betrayed me. I never wanted to feel like that again, but there was no guarantee I wouldn't. Despite the promises flowing from Magnus's lips. The only way to be certain was to end everything right now and go back to life before I met him. Back to my dull, monochromatic existence filled with books and hard work and not much else.

_Can I do that?_

_Do I want to?_

I was so confused, and my mind still in a hazy, somewhat drunken state. Magnus just kept looking up at me with those big, cat-like eyes and I couldn't handle it anymore.

I put my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, knowing that the tears would be falling soon. He held me tightly, rising up on his knees so that our bodies were more matched.

"Please don't break up with me over a stupid misunderstanding. Tell me what I can do to make it better. I promise we'll never do that again."

He sounded really upset, like he was about to cry as well.

"How can I break up with you? We're not technically dating." I didn't mean for it to sound as cold as it did when it came out of my mouth, but it was the truth.

Magnus made a sound like he was choking back a sob and I felt his grip tighten around me. He was actually upset by the possibility that I was going to stop seeing him. I was so shocked at his behavior that I had look at him, despite the fact that that would mean he would see the tears in the corners of my eyes.

The green eyes that gazed at me were filled with so much longing and worry and...tears. My heart ached in a new way.

_I swear all this stress on it cannot be healthy. _

I was at once decided that I couldn't let this slip away from me because I was too afraid to continue.

_"Please _Alexander...please forgive me I-" I stopped his mouth with my own, tasting the tears that were cascading down his face as they mixed with my own. "I am so...so...so...sorry." He repented between kisses. I pulled him up next to me on the bed, lying down face to face.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain before, I just...-" He cut me off.

"You don't have to apologize, I would have jumped to those conclusions too." He put his forehead against mine. "Please know that I will _never_ cheat on you. If I have a problem I bring it up, I don't go behind people's backs. And I would never leave you over something as trivial as having sex. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to and I'm ready whenever you are, but whether that time is five minutes or five years from now, it doesn't matter. I'm happy being with you exactly how we are; I want to spend time with you no matter what it involves." The look on his face was hopeful, but tentative, as if he wasn't sure whether we were completely ok and he didn't want to get his hopes up quite yet.

"Magnus?" My pulse sped up again at the anticipation of my next words. It wasn't like I didn't know the answer, but it was still nerve wracking saying it aloud.

"Yes my sweet?" He looked at me nervously, unsure of where my next words were going to go after what had just happened.

_I_ was sure though. And, as he'd told me from the beginning: I needed to ask for what I wanted if I expected to get it, and if I'd learned one thing from this night it was that our relationship was in dire need of some definitions.

I took hold of his hand and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

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**A/N: Mwahaha another cliff hanger (sort of). I will try to get the next one up soon, but I have a French presentation Wednesday, a Chinese language test on Friday and a cemetery field trip this weekend (and hopefully a day at a dig) so I will be super busy with 0 time to write. **

**Anyway, back to the story: I hope I'm not getting too OOC. I feel like Alec would have the same sort of passive aggressive reaction to this situation as I would, so that is how I described him. His whole little melt down is a fully legit response, I just hope you all agree that it is legit for _him. _As for Magnus's groveling, I think perhaps he would be a bit more prideful, but I wanted him to be a bit more vulnerable here. **


	21. How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

**This one is a little short, but it goes with the next one (which is less than 1000 words). I didn't want to break my rule about not switching Magnus/Alec perspectives mid chapter, so I had to divide them. Technically, the next three fit snugly together, so I will give you two of them now and hopefully the third very soon. **

**My weekend was crazy busy and amazing and next week is turning out to be fairly packed too, but I will try to give this story some attention as well. (Not like I have a choice; it invades my brain constantly)**

**Thank you all who have stuck with it through 21 FREAKING CHAPTERS! And almost 80k words! And thank you to all the new people wandering in and leaving me their feedback as well. I love you all. Over 100 people have favorited this and THAT IS AMAZING! **

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**Chapter 21 Magnus POV How to Get a Good Night's Sleep.**

"I thought you'd never ask." I breathed a sigh of relief and kissed _my boyfriend_ as deeply and passionately as I could, uncharacteristically crying again; this time because I was so incredibly happy.

And to think just a few minutes ago I was terrified I'd lost him forever. The thought made me clutch him tighter against me, as if at any moment he could slip from my grasp and be gone for good. I wouldn't be able to handle that.

If I'd had any doubts about my abilities to be in a committed relationship before tonight, they were certainly gone now. I had almost been convinced it would be ok after talking to Will, but the look on Ale's face when he accused me of cheating on him had severed all doubt. It had broken my heart into a thousand sharp little pieces that felt like they were ripping me apart from the inside at every word he spoke. I would never intentionally do that to him. I couldn't go through that conversation for real; couldn't betray him like that. Never.

Even as he spoke the doubts that mirrored my own about how well I could handle a relationship without sex, they melted away. It was so ridiculously obvious that I didn't need that to be happy with Alec. All I needed was Alec; and he was everything that I wanted and more.

An abrupt knock on the door startled both of us into ceasing our kiss.

"Hey, if you two would be so kind as to _not_ have your make up sex in my bed, that would be great. Alec has already left enough of his bodily fluids in my room for a lifetime, and there happens to be a bedroom not more than five feet down the hall that I'm sure the owner wouldn't mind you using!" Jace called through the door.

Alec buried his scarlet face in his hands.

"_Oh_ _god_. I'm never going to be able to look at him again." He groaned.

"Good. There's no reason for my boyfriend to be looking at other men anyway." I winked at him as I pulled his hands away and helped him off the bed. He was still a little unsteady.

I opened the door to an anxious Jace.

"All yours." I gestured into his room. "You have spare sheets right?" That remark earned a "MAGNUS!" From both Alec and Jace, and a not-so-gentle elbow to my ribs from the former.

"He's joking." Alec said hastily, glaring at me. "Thanks for not letting me drink myself into a coma, and I'm really sorry about the whole trash can thing..."

"Don't mention it." Jace replied lightheartedly. "Like, literally; don't mention it. Ever again. This evening will be blocked from my mind forever once the sun comes up." He pushed passed us into his bedroom and closed the door, locking it behind him.

Will was conspicuous in his absence, but I was grateful for it. I wanted so badly for them to get along; hopefully tonight hadn't ruined the chances of that happening. Still, I figured Alec might be more willing to let bygones be bygones after a hot shower and a long night's sleep.

"Would you like to stay… or do you have to get home?" I asked, hoping for the former but feeling the need to inquire. Assuming had already gotten us in trouble once tonight.

"I can stay. I don't actually have a car to get home if I wanted to anyway. It's still at my parking deck. And I'm not sure I'm in a state to drive."

"Good. I have you trapped." I laughed maniacally and led him to my bedroom, drawing a smile from those delicious lips. "This door's the bathroom; there's a spare toothbrush in the top drawer if you want to brush your teeth before bed."

"Thanks, that sounds like a good idea." He went in the bathroom and closed the door. I quickly changed into my night clothes which consisted of nothing but boxers and a pair of black silk pajama pants. Most nights, it wouldn't even consist of that much, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable for our first sleepover.

I took out a pair of cotton night pants for Alec and the only top I could find that I imagined he'd be ok wearing without too much protesting; a solid orange t-shirt. It was probably a lot more fitted than he'd like, but _I_ would certainly like it, and if he didn't, well he always had the option to take it off.

When he came out of the bathroom I saw him inhale sharply at the sight of my naked chest. I just smiled and handed him the clothes I'd picked out.

"These should fit. You don't have to put them on if you don't want," I added as he looked at the orange shirt like it was a cobra about to strike. "I'm perfectly fine with it if you want to sleep naked." I winked and walked into the bathroom, closing the door before he could reply.

I scrubbed off all of the makeup from my face and combed the knots out of my disheveled hair. I would have preferred to wash it, but there wasn't time for that, so I just did what I could and set to brushing my teeth. When I was done I couldn't help smiling at the simple pleasure of sitting my toothbrush in its holder next to his.

Alexander was my _boyfriend_. _My_ boyfriend. I wanted to say it over and over again; it sounded so beautiful in my head. I'd used the word a couple times before when talking about him, but that had just been for convenience; it was easier to say 'my boyfriend' than 'the guy I've been dating but am not actually _dating _dating'. But now it was the truth and I couldn't wait to say it all the time.

When I emerged from the bathroom my eyes fell upon my adorable, passed-out-with-his-mouth-slightly-opened, blanket-around-waist, bare-chested mate. He looked so cute I had to stop myself from giggling aloud and waking him.

It crossed my mind that he would be waking up very hung over and likely thirsty, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the cupboard before returning and placing it, and a bottle of aspirin, on the counter. Just in case I didn't wake up when he did. Then I scribbled a little note, instructing him to drink the entire bottle and take two of the pills, signing it with a heart.

I returned to my room, silently clicked off the light and crawled into bed next to him, half hoping that he'd either taken my advice or passed out before he could put any clothes on. Alas, I was not so fortunate; he had the night pants on. Still, he was shirtless in my bed and that was certainly a sight to enjoy.

He'd fallen asleep on the right side of the bed, which I considered yet another sign from the heavens that we were a perfect match. I always sleep on the left, even alone in my queen-sized bed. I scooted close to him and put my arm around his waist. He moaned slightly in his passed out state and rolled over onto his side, taking my arm with him and pulling us into a spooning position. I was beginning to like passed out Alec more and more.

Our bodies fit perfectly together, and I relished the feeling of his skin on mine. He was so warm; I worried he might be a bit feverish, but I figured sleep was probably the best medicine for him anyway if he was. I let myself be engulfed in his warmth and slid instantly into the most peaceful sleep I'd had in ages.


	22. How to Wake Up Your Boyfriend Properly

**All I will say is: Sexy cliffhanger mwahahaha. I will get the next chapter up asap, as I know you are all dirty, dirty readers and are dying for some smut. If not, you've probably gotten lost and may need a map to get out of here before this winding road goes south again, if you get my drift ;) **

**Anyway, without further ado:**

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**Chapter 22 Alec's POV: How to Wake Up Your New Boyfriend the Right Way. **

Waking up after a night of tears and vodka is not a pleasant activity. My mouth and throat were under the impression I'd been sleeping outside in the Sahara with my mouth open, and my eyes were beyond sore; every muscle in my body ached from dehydration and tension. I went to reach for my phone to check the time when I realized that my nightstand wasn't there. The reason for which being that this was not my room. My memory finally caught up with my body and I let the waves of emotions crash upon me as the events of the night replayed in my mind. Rolling over, I saw Magnus, my boyfriend officially, lying peacefully next to me, soundly asleep, snoring lightly.

I couldn't help smiling.

I snuck out of bed as quietly and carefully as I could so as not to wake him, then slipped into the bathroom. My head was throbbing and I was about to reach up and open the medicine cabinet when I saw the note.

_**Good morning! Thirsty? Head pounding? Take two of these and drink this entire bottle then come crawl back into bed with me 3**_

Laughing quietly I opened the bottle and followed his instructions. The water felt great on my tongue and I had to stop myself from chugging the whole thing at once so as not to get a stomach ache. I wanted to avoid the feeling of nausea for the foreseeable future. Turning the faucet on, I cupped my hands under it and splashed the magnificent coolness on my face and neck. After a few minutes I finished up the bottle of water and dried myself off before heading back to the bed in which Magnus was still sleeping peacefully.

It was barely light outside and the small act of walking to and from the bathroom had exhausted my muscles, so I followed the note's orders and snuggled back down under the covers, risking waking Magnus up for the chance to press my body against his. Luckily, he didn't awaken; but he did drape his arm around me. I closed my eyes and drifted back into the realm of sleep with a smile on my face.

The sun was higher in the sky when I woke back up and my headache was gone. My body still ached slightly, but a few stretches would probably fix that up. It couldn't have been more than two or three hours later, but I felt like I'd slept for a century; I was well rested and refreshed.

I'd thought Magnus had woken before me and was trying to wake me up, but I was wrong. He _was _saying my name, that much was certain, but he definitely wasn't awake. The arm that had been wrapped around my waist was now much lower, his hand at some point had found its way underneath the elastic waistband of both my borrowed night pants and my boxers and the lean fingers were wrapped around my hip. I swallowed hard as my body took inventory of exactly every point where it was in contact with Magnus's.

He moaned against my pillow and I took a sharp breath. I hadn't been expecting to wake up to this.

"Alec..." He whimpered, fingers raking against my skin. It was a bittersweet sensation. On the one hand, it was quite obvious I was the person causing him so much pleasure in his dreams and I loved that immensely. On the other hand, his subconscious was giving him what I had yet to and it made me feel awful; and slightly envious. I wanted to _actually_ make him say my name like that; in person, not in some fantasy. I wanted him to moan at my hands and finally be satisfied by my doing.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against him, eliciting a soft groan from his lips. Shortly thereafter his breathing changed and it was obvious he'd woken up. The hand that was resting so comfortably down my pants slowly tried to pull away, but I stopped it.

My mind was made up.

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**It's been a while so: Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, just the ideas.**


	23. How To Enjoy Waking Up Early

**Alright guys, last one today. I really need to go start my Genghis Khan paper now... **

**This chapter is dedicated to InMySoul :) I hope this chapter gives you a bit more satisfaction than the last :P**

**RATED M!**

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**Chapter 23 Magnus POV: How to Enjoy Waking Up Early**

I woke up after some unknown amount of time (it felt like less than eight hours) from an incredibly vivid dream involving Alec, handcuffs, and a lot of dessert topping. I tried to recall the sordid details in the in between moments of waking and sleep, before I realized that I was still pressed against my boyfriend, with my hand down his boxers (only on his thigh thank the gods) and I was very, _very_ hard.

I could feel myself blushing uncharacteristically and I tried to move away slowly and silently so as not to wake him. No such luck.

My hand moved out of his boxers and about an inch off his waist before he grabbed it and pulled it back, placing my hand on his bare hip so that it nudged the elastic waistband down slightly.

He was not helping with my predicament.

"Good morning." He said, turning his head slightly up at me. His voice was gravelly, making me swallow hard.

"Good morning gorgeous." I leaned down to kiss his cheek, but he moved and captured my lips with his own, reaching a hand up to tangle in my hair. He was on his back now, pulling me so that I was almost on top of him. Morning Alec was even more enjoyable than passed out Alec, so far.

His free hand traveled down my naked torso slowly, making me shudder and him smile.

"Sleep well?" He asked casually, fingers trailing the waistband of my own night pants. He _had_ to know what he was doing to me.

"I prefer the waking up so far." I managed to say, breath catching as I felt his thumb push the fabric down passed my hip.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be having a pretty good dream; do you remember what it was about?" His tone was even, but I could see the evil mischievousness in his bright blue eyes. If I had control of my brain I probably would have replied with a brilliant sarcastic quip; as it was though, I could hardly remember how to form basic words, let alone full sentences.

_How does he do this to me?_ I was a master at seducing people and could generally keep my cool in any situation, but there was something about his innocence that made it all the more erotic and overwhelming when he took control.

"No." I lied, pulse speeding up as his fingers teased the boundary of my pants.

"You said my name quite a few times..." He slid his leg in between mine and pressed his thigh against my arousal. "Are you sure you don't remember?" He raised an eyebrow and pressed into me again. It took everything I had not to collapse on top of him; my arms were shaking. He needed to stop. I needed to get control of the situation.

"You are an evil, evil man Alexander Lightwood." I spoke with my mouth inches from his lips, pulling away when he arched up to meet them. I pushed away from him and lay on my back on my side of the bed. He just laughed lightly and scooted over to me, raising his eyebrows when I reached the edge of the bed.

"You've run out of bed." He leaned over me, placing one arm on either side of my shoulders.

"Alec..." I closed my eyes and tried to focus as his mouth ravaged my neck. "You need to stop before I do something you'll regret." It might not have been so difficult to resist him if I'd woken up from some nightmare or something, but that dream coupled with his aggressive morning behavior was just too much to handle. If he didn't stop within the next minute I would no longer be responsible for my actions.

"Something _I'll _regret?" He repeated quizzically into my ear.

"Well I certainly wouldn't." I answered. It was apparently an answer he approved of because he pulled me closer to the center of the bed and started kissing me ferociously. "Fuck Alec... I can't-"

"You can." He whispered throatily in my ear. That was all it took. I had nothing left to resist with after that. I gave in to the feeling of his hand running over my body; memorizing every muscle, every curve, until finally, _finally_, reaching for my night pants and tugging them and my boxers off in one swift motion. I gasped at his touch; cool on my heated arousal.

I wasn't sure where exactly this was going or how far he wanted to take it, but he seemed to know what he wanted and I was perfectly willing to let him take control. Especially since it meant being fully naked and touched by my incredible boyfriend.

He moaned as his hand slid up and back down the length of me. By the gods it was a beautiful sound. I reached for him; fingers stroking his hardness through the thin cotton separating us. The hand touching me stopped and grabbed my wrist, forcefully pressing it into the mattress above my head.

"Not yet." His sultry tone was enough that I would have followed whatever order he gave without a second thought. _Fuck _he was sexy.

He kissed my lips, then my chin; spending a few excruciating moments on my neck before making his way to my chest. He situated himself between my legs and made sure to press his body against my hard on as much as possible while teasing my nipples with his teeth and tongue and leaving a warm, wet trail of kisses down my torso until finally reaching my groin. He took his time stroking me while swirling his tongue across my hip bones, making me almost cry out in the anticipation.

Eventually, when I thought I had almost reached the limit of my patience, his mouth made contact and I let out a long, much louder than intended, moan of approval. Hot wetness wrapped around me, at first working in tandem with his hand, building my arousal quickly, then the pressure of his hand was gone, replaced with the feeling of his mouth and tongue _all the way_ down my shaft. I felt his lips come in contact with the base and cried out, unable to handle the fact that he could take me entirely into his mouth without gagging, and seemed to want to repeat the process numerous times. His movements quickened and I felt my core muscles starting to clench as my body prepared itself for release. I laced my fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth away. "Alec I'm gonna-"

"Good." He said, pushing my hand away. The smile on his face and the look in his eyes as he dipped his head back down had me coming as soon as his lips touched me.

"Fuuuucckkk" I clutched at the sheets by my sides, blissfully engulfed in pleasure until the waves of sensation finally subsided and I relaxed. Alec waited until that moment to remove his mouth from me, smiling up as he licked his lips. He lay down beside me, still smiling.

"You." I started, turning slightly to face him.

"Yes?"

I tried to remember how I was going to finish that sentence, but I was lost in the sexy blue eyes and I couldn't come up with anything.

"When my brain starts working again I'll shower you with adjectives. Until then..." I pulled him against me and kissed that incredibly talented mouth deeply.

"I take it that was alright then?" He asked, a little of his characteristic shyness coming back. I laughed loudly.

"Never has that word been so incredibly inadequate as a description. There are no words to describe how amazing that was." He smiled at my compliment, then tucked his head under my chin, hiding his face.

"If I- uh- did anything...wrong, or that you didn't like, you should tell me. I've um, never actually done that before..."

That couldn't be possible. He'd acted so sure of himself and taken charge so fully. And _fuck_ _he was good. _

"Are you serious?" I made him look at me and he nodded, biting his lip. "There was not a single thing I didn't like about that. It's such a shame it can never happen again though." His eyebrows furrowed and he looked shocked and confused.

"Why?"

"Because: if you can make me feel like that your first time, you're going to kill me once you've had practice. Literally, I will die of pleasure beneath you." He beamed and kissed me, wrapping his arms around my waist so that we were pressed together. That's when I remembered how selfish I was being.

My hand dipped beneath the fabric and he flinched a little when skin came in contact with skin, obviously not expecting such an abrupt move.

I deftly relieved him of the garments and immediately felt him tense; whether from being naked in general or if it was because I was as well, I didn't know.

I kept my hands above the waist, deciding to spend some time kissing him until I felt like he was ready to be touched. It didn't take too very long.

"Magnus," he moaned my name, tilting his head back so that I could more easily reach the area of his neck I was currently biting at. He put his hand on top of mine and pushed it further down his hip, right above the top of his thigh. I bit back a laugh at his eagerness, stifling the urge to tease his body more and taste the taut skin of his chest. It was unlikely he would be able to handle much of that and I hadn't even gotten to the good part yet.


	24. How to Start Forgetting

**And here is where it all gets super AU. At least, moreso than it has been. It has also gotten a little unintentionally emo. I apologize for that ahead of time. You all just need to trust me on this direction; I have seen into the future of this fic and it all makes sense. I promise. This chapter is dialogue heavy, but sometimes you need a chapter that explains stuff, and this is what happens. I'm trying to get the next one (a Heronstairs chapter btw (it feels like it's been so long!)) finished up soon, but I again have a stupid amount of homework and tests, so it may take a while. I tend to write out of order sometimes, so I have chapter 26-7 written and essentially done, but we need to get there. **

**ANYWAY! Enjoy this little chunk of plot and let me know what you think. Please don't be too harsh if you hate it, I know it's a little strange, but this story takes me where it wants to go. I have very little control. **

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**Chapter 24 Alec's POV: How to Start Forgetting.**

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I_ looked down at the man leaning over me; his hands roaming over my hips and thighs, his mouth working its way down from my belly button. He pulled the fabric restraining my arousal away and returned to his position. His hands moved to the revealed flesh, drawing a moan from my lips. My pulse sped as his talented hands worked and I could feel my body getting close to release. _

_His tongue swirled around my hip bones then traced a trail to the base of my sex. My breath stopped and my thoughts swirled back into focus. _

_"Wait." I ordered, reaching my fingers down for the man's dark hair. I felt his sigh on my skin and his head snapped up. _

_Dark eyes looked up at me with frustration and exasperation over the coming argument that inevitably followed; as it did every time. _

_"Jesus Alec, are you _ever _going to let me taste you?" Snapped the usually melodic voice. _

_"Soon. I'm just...not ready yet." I suddenly felt the urge to grab the covers and hide my exposed body. _

_"You've been saying that for _weeks_! Come on, it's not like I'm asking to fuck you, I just want to suck you off." _

_I flinched at the crude language he knew I hated. Talking about things like that were hard enough for me, he didn't need to be so bluntly vulgar about it. _

_He noticed and rolled his eyes. _

_"Call me when you hit puberty." He spat, pulling his t-shirt over his head. He'd still had his pants on, so he managed made it all the way to the door before I had hastily pulled my pants on and run after him. _

_"Sebastian wait!" I pleaded, hating the fact that we'd ended yet another evening this way. _

_"Why?" I never knew one word could sound so cruel, but coupled with the cold eyes looking at me it felt as though I'd been punched in the stomach._

_"Please?" I barely whispered. _

_He just shook his head and walked out the door. "I can't keep doing this Alec."_

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I remembered the incident all too well. It'd been only a few weeks before Sebastian had informed me of his plans to leave for Paris in the fall and had effectually ended our relationship.

I didn't want to be thinking upon it now, but it had popped into my mind unbidden. Triggered by the sight of Magnus kneeling between my legs; mouth pressed softly against the flesh of my inside thigh, dark hair falling about his face...

"Darling, what's wrong?" Magnus's concerned voice brought me out of my thoughts and back into the present. He'd stopped kissing me and was now coming back up to lay beside me.

There was no anger or hostility in his features, like I'd experienced with Sebastian so many times, but it still terrified me.

My brain was yelling at itself. _Not again; don't ruin things again, you idiot. Don't let him leave. _

Not that that really made much sense. He couldn't leave, we were in _his _bed, in _his _house. He _could_ always kick me out though.

My stomach turned at the thought.

Just moments ago I'd been set alight with confidence and determination, but now... There were just too many mental roadblocks in the way.

"Nothing, I just got distracted." It wasn't technically a lie; I _had_ been distracted by thoughts of my ex-boyfriend and the mess that was our so-call sex life. I tried to forget about all of that and put my brain back in the proper mood.

I leaned forward and kissed him. It felt forced on both sides; the first time I'd ever felt like that with Magnus.

"Alexander, you know you can tell me anything. I won't be upset or angry or disappointed." He stroked my hair while gazing into my eyes. It took all I had not to look away; it felt as if those gold-flecked emeralds could see every thought and feeling I was experiencing. "Did I do something you don't like?" He suggested, trying to get to the bottom of my abrupt lack of enthusiasm.

I shook my head, unsure of what to do. How could I tell him what was wrong when I didn't even know myself? Aside from the fact that I'd been told my entire life how incredibly wrong all of this was, there was no reason for me to shying away. I certainly hadn't when the shoe had been on the other foot.

Originally, with Sebastian, it was just the issue that I was less than a year out from having my first ever kiss, which had led to me being essentially disowned by my parents, and I was nervous and inexperienced. I had no idea what I wanted, I just knew I didn't want to rush into it and ruin my life like I had with the kiss. And then I'd ruined my relationship instead by doing the exact opposite. Not that I wasn't glad, now, that I hadn't given all of my firsts the Sebastian, it was just that that part of my life had left me less than confident about a lot of things. Mainly intimacy.

I supposed that the mixture of the memory of Sebastian, with his cold lack of understanding or patience, my own insecurities, and residual guilt emblazoned in me by my parents from childhood, was what left me fearful of experiencing the intimate act with Magnus, despite how much I trusted that he wouldn't do anything I didn't like.

"Hey, come back to me." I heard Magnus's words close to my ear and I was again brought out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry." I said, unsure of what else to say.

"I thought I'd lost you there for a sec. Now come on, tell me what's going on in that pretty, little head of yours." He spoke jovially enough, but his eyes conveyed the truth; that he was concerned.

_And there it is: I'm ruining things again. _

"It's nothing, I just..." I searched for the words that would not come. Magnus's arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed against my forehead.

"We don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. I told you that before. I'm completely fine with you setting the pace. Never feel like you can't tell me to stop ok?" He made me look at him as he asked. I nodded and tucked my head under his chin before he could catch the glistening of my eyes.

I didn't want to cry right now; I would not. Not after we'd had such a perfect start to the morning.

_I don't deserve you. _

Magnus chuckled and whispered against my hair, "you deserve the world. And I intend to give it to you."

I must've spoken that last thought aloud.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from crying at his words, but it didn't work. _How did I manage to find the most perfect man in existence? _

It was strange; crying out of happiness. I had experienced plenty of tears of pain, both physical and emotional, over hatred, over jealousy; possibly every negative emotion thinkable, but I had never been so overwhelmed by elation that my body couldn't contain it.

Unfortunately Magnus had no way of knowing that was the cause of the dampness on his shoulder. He pulled back and cupped my chin, making me look up at him.

"My sweet, please tell me what's wrong so I can fix it. I can't stand to see you upset." His words and look of complete earnest only made the salty liquid flow more freely.

I smiled through it though; mainly because I couldn't help it, but also because I wanted him to know it was ok. My hand found his soft cheek and I pulled him forward into a kiss, pouring all of the thoughts and feelings I couldn't say into our connection. I could taste the saltiness in our kiss, mixing with the sweet flavor of Magnus's mouth. His lips responded to mine; his tongue to my tongue. Both saying so much, yet not a word escaping. When at last the need to pull away came we moved only inches apart, foreheads still resting against one another's.

"Talk to me; I know something is bothering you and I can't make it better if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing you've done. _You're_ perfect. I'm the one who's messed up. Lucky you, picking such a neurotic boyfriend." I laid back on the pillow.

"I _am _lucky to have you, and just because I'm not the reason doesn't mean I can't be the solution." He snuggled close to me and ran his hand over my chest. "I have a healing touch." He winked at me and smiled; I couldn't help but smile back.

"I was just thinking too much, I guess."

"What about?"

I really didn't want to say, but it didn't look as if he was going to let me drop it. I avoided eye contact, feeling ashamed of my next words.

"My ex."

"Nothing longing and nostalgic I hope." He replied lightly. His displeasure at me admitting to thinking about my ex while he was in the process of going down on me was written all over his face though, and I wouldn't have blamed him for saying something a lot more negative than that.

"Definitely not. I just…have a lot of residual insecurities from that relationship and they tend to catch up with me in the worst possibly times. Like now." I hoped my explanation made it slightly clearer to him why I was acting so apprehensive. He certainly looked like he understood more; or maybe he was just glad I hadn't been fondly reminiscing.

"You shouldn't be insecure about anything, especially not when it comes to _our_ relationship. In case I didn't make it clear enough last night: I care about you and I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, and I care about you too. I want so badly to make you happy but…" I trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"You being happy makes me happy. If you're not enjoying something I don't want you to just go through the motions because you think that's what I want. That's only going to make matters worse." He propped himself up on his elbow so he could look at me better. "I enjoyed this morning- _by the gods _did I enjoy this morning- but if you didn't want to do that you shouldn't have. I tried to stop you-"

"I _did _want to, and I enjoyed it too. And rationally I should have more issue with that than with you doing it to me, and therefore I should be over it completely, but that's not the case. I've just had too many bad experiences that replay in my head every time I think about letting you." I was speaking much faster than I usually do, unless I'm rambling on about some fascinating academic factoid I just found out. "Please believe me that this has _nothing _to do with you. I promise that I _will_ get over it, I just need more time." I hated that I needed more time, but there was nothing more I could do about it. If there had been, I would have done it already.

"You say that like I've given you a deadline."

"I didn't mean it like that." I put my hands over my face. "I'm sorry I'm so crap at this."

He laughed and pulled my hands away.

"You're fine." He kissed my forehead. "I'm sure I already know the answer to this, but do you want to talk about any of those bad experiences? You don't have to, but it might help."

I wasn't entirely convinced that was true, but I felt like I owed it to him to do whatever it might take to get past my mental roadblocks so that we could actually have a healthy intimate relationship.

"It's nothing in particular, I've just never really been comfortable with this sort of thing. I mean, affection in general, not just _this_. In the sixteen years I lived with my parents I could probably count on my fingers the number of times I saw them kiss. Hugs were reserved for special occasions, even for me and Izz, so it's not really surprising that I turned out the way I did. Not to mention the fact that the first time in my life I gather the courage to act on my feelings I get disowned by my parents and kicked out." It was surprisingly easy to talk to Magnus. Like in the park, the words just flowed out without censor or fear. I _wanted_ to tell him. I wanted him to know everything there was to know about me and somehow it made it less scary that he was willing to listen.

"Sebastian and I started dating shortly after and it was great because he was only a little older than me and we were both fairly inexperienced, me moreso than him, but still. He was fine with taking things slow and we were on the same page. At first. I guess we both assumed that we would be ready for things at the same time but that was not the case. I was still coming to terms with being on my own and being honest about my sexuality for the first time in my life so it was big deal for me to even have a boyfriend at all let alone a sex life. And Sebastian was understanding, to a point. Everyone has their limits; especially seventeen year old males." I was feeling much less emotional telling him about this than I had been remembering it; saying it out loud felt like it was pushing it farther into the past.

Maybe he was right; maybe this was helpful.

"We fought about it a lot, and it got to the point that we barely even kissed because we both knew it was likely going to end in an argument. Eventually he left for college and we haven't talked since."

"Well, that explains why you looked at me like I was going to flip out when I asked what was wrong." His fingers stroked my bare chest.

"Yeah, I'm not really used to your reactions to my neuroses."

He laughed loudly and pulled me into a tight hug. It was really strange to this physically close to Magnus while we were both naked without doing anything sexual. It was insane how comfortable I felt with this man.

I could still feel myself blushing nonetheless.

"You're going to have to learn to accept that you're dating someone with more patience than a horny teenage boy, and a lot more understanding."

I let myself melt into his hug; unable to believe how incredibly lucky I was and unwilling to second guess it. If I believed in soul mates I would have no doubt in that moment that I had found mine.

"You are more than perfect." I told him honestly.

"I know."

A smile broke out on my lips and I felt him chuckle.

We lay like for a few minutes until I started to get restless. I was usually out of bed by this time.

Probably.

In all honesty I had no fathomable idea of what the time was. I looked around the room for a clock, but found none.

"What time is it?" I asked Magnus, who started. He must've been falling back asleep.

"I have no idea why?" He didn't open his eyes to answer me.

"We have class. Don't you have something early on Tuesdays?"

He sighed and leaned over and grabbed his phone off of the night stand. I heard the sound of a camera shutter and saw him grin like the Cheshire Cat.

"Magnus!" I pulled the blanket closer to my body while he laughed.

"I'm sorry my darling I couldn't resist. Don't worry, it was all above the waist… unfortunately." I blushed thinking about how we'd taken pictures in the park the other night and how enjoyable that activity might become _indoors._

That is, if I ever got over my hang ups.

"It's barely 9:30 by the way." He mumbled, laying back down.

I almost joined him; I didn't need to be at school until 1, but then I remembered.

"I made you miss your class."

"That's what I like to call a good morning." He joked, trying not to laugh when my expression turned stern.

"You should have told me; we should have gotten out of bed ages ago." I made to get up but he pulled me back firmly, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"We were busy."

"We wouldn't have been if you had told me when we woke up that you had to get to class."

He finally opened his eyes and looked at me seriously.

"My darling Alexander; there will _never_ come a time when you wake me up with those intentions and I stop you because _I have to go to school_."

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to schedule my urges around your class schedule in the future then." I joked. He looked at me like he wasn't sure whether I was likely to follow through on that or not. "Now, there's the issue of me not having my car..."

"No issue. What time do you have class?"

"Not til one." He glared at my lovely school schedule; he had much earlier classes than me this semester.

"Well, I can either drop you off at your deck in about an hour and a half when I have class and we can snuggle some more, or we can leave early and I'll take you by your apartment now and then take you to school with me and you can find something to do for three hours." He loosened his grip on me now that I didn't seem as though I was going to bail, but still held me close.

"I prefer the option that includes snuggling." I told him, feeling my ears turning pink.

"Good choice."


	25. How to Do Lunch

**FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER! Gah I've been struggling with this one for a little while, but I finally got some time and got over my writer's block. I really want to update more chapters quickly because they are on a schedule and I want to be updating the holiday ones during the actual holidays, but we'll see how that goes. I _should_ have time this weekend to get another one up, but don't hold me to it. At least this one is up and ready for your enjoyment. **

**I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Unfortunately. Otherwise I would be enjoying my royalty checks and not stressing about Chinese midterms. **

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**Tuesday October 9 Chapter 25: How to Do Lunch. **

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**Will POV:**

8 am came very early Tuesday morning. Not as early as 7 am had, when I'd been lurched out of sleep by that wretched alarm clock then rolled back over, but it was still pretty early. I couldn't push it anymore though, I had to be at work at 9 am.

I took a quick shower to give myself a few extra minutes on my appearance once I'd dried off; I was only working a half day, helping out on a special project, (hence the strange 9 am-1 pm schedule) and meeting Jem for lunch afterwards.

The anticipation had me smiling involuntarily.

Jace was in the kitchen when I made my way there to throw together some breakfast.

"Morning." I mumbled, grabbing a cup of the freshly brewed coffee. Herondale's are not renowned for enjoying their mornings and if Jace or I are up before 10 am, you can be sure there will be a pot of hot coffee not far away.

"Mmhhmn." He replied, his head resting on his arms.

"Are you sick? You're up a whole hour before you have to be." I teased, putting a piece of toast in the toaster. I grabbed a bowl out of the cupboard and filled it with equal parts strawberry yogurt, pineapple chunks, and granola.

"No. Clary wanted to meet before class to put some finishing touches on her masterpiece." He told me, sipping at his own cup of coffee.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" I mocked, grabbing my toast and taking a seat.

"Ha ha, no. She had a drawing assignment so naturally she asked the most attractive person in her life to model for her." The caffeine was starting to awaken his natural 'Jace-like' tendencies.

"Ah. So you were second choice after he said no then?"

I dodged a kick under the table.

"Such a comedian this morning. I'm too tired to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I was up half the night cleaning my room where Alec had been in there; then I had to wait for my sheets to dry. I didn't get to bed until past three." Jace is meticulous in his cleaning. It's one of the odd behaviors no one would guess about him. He's always been much tidier than Cecy or me.

"I'm sure Magnus will make it up to you. I know he appreciates your intervention. Alec too probably; he sounds like the kind of guy who remembers favors."

"Yeah, hopefully not in the same manner in which he was making up to Magnus this morning if those noises were what they sounded like. Ugh. The next place you live should have better insulated walls. I don't know how you've spent the last year and a half sharing a wall with that man."

"Our bathrooms are on that wall; no noise comes through. You could always take some of that money that you don't chip in for rent or groceries and buy some earplugs with it." I gripped. Not that I minded having him over, I just didn't think he had complaining rights, even if he did have his own room.

He ignored the comment and continued.

"Well you're lucky. I'll be sleeping at home tonight so I can get some peace and quiet."

"I'm sorry our lives have so rudely inconvenienced you and your beauty sleep." I finished up my breakfast and put the dish in the dishwasher before checking my pockets to make sure I had everything I needed. "I'll see you later this week then?"

"Yeah, Friday at the latest; I have a date with Clary and I don't want to have to sneak back into the house late."

I sighed. He knew I really don't approve of my house being used for his deceit, but I couldn't say anything because it would just be hypocritical. The Angels know I snuck out more than a few times to go to one of Magnus's parties that lasted until daybreak.

"Fine, just let me know ahead of time. Have fun with your modeling. Oh and you might want to borrow some cover-up for those bags under your eyes." He glared at me and I laughed when I caught him checking his reflection in his spoon before I walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

**Jem POV:**

I awoke early with a cat on my head and a textbook jabbing into my ribs. My disoriented mind assessed that I was on the couch; I must've fallen asleep while I was studying last night. I was surprised that Alec hadn't removed the books from my lap or covered me in a blanket as he usually did. Not that It was his job or anything, but it was strange that he hadn't done it. Walking down the hall to the bathroom gave me an explanation as to why.

His door was wide open and his bed had obviously not been slept in; he would have still been in it at this time of day if he'd come home last night. I checked my phone but it was void of messages, save one from Will saying good night and that he'd see me tomorrow- which was now today.

I sent Alec a text asking if he was alright then set about cleaning up the mess of books and tea cups that littered the den. Luckily my internal clock woke me up early enough to take my time getting ready for class.

I met Will at a little cafe a few blocks from my apartment around 2 pm for a late lunch. After buying our food we picked a quiet table in the corner away from the crowd and sat down.

* * *

"So how'd it go last night?" I asked. He'd told me that his best friend was likely going to be resistant to the idea of us dating, since he knew _everything _that had happened between us last week. But he was hoping that after a brief explanation Magnus would change his opinion of me. I had no personal stock in whether or not Magnus approved of me, but seeing as how he was an important part of both my best friend and boyfriend's life, I figured I should promote peace as much as possible.

"Well..." Will shook his head, as if trying to shake away a bad memory.

"That disastrous hmm?"

"That would depend. If you're asking if Magnus "approves" of my relationship decisions, then, it could be worse. He's mainly just concerned I'm moving a little fast, which is rich coming from him. But I think once he realizes what happened before was the exception, not the rule, when it comes to how you treat me, he'll get over it." He took my hand and kissed it lightly. "Unless you're planning on proving him right in which case he will have to find a way to balance his smugness with his wrath."

"I promise he will have no reason to dislike me from now on." I reassured. "So if that didn't go badly then what else happened?"

"Honestly I'm surprised you haven't been told. Let's just say that we can safely assume double dates are out of the question for the foreseeable future, as I'm fairly certain your friend Alec would rather rip my face off than look at it for half a second."

That was certainly not the answer I'd been expecting.

"What? Why?" All I had heard from Alec today was a short text saying he'd stayed at Magnus's last night unexpectedly and it was a long story that he'd tell me tonight.

"He thinks, well _thought_, as I'm positive it's been cleared up by now, otherwise I don't think he'd have stayed in Magnus's bed last night-"

"Enough with the asides already, get to the point."

"He saw me kissing Magnus last night and thought he was being cheated on." Will looked at me smugly, phrasing his answer in a way that was sure to make me ask more questions. He didn't like to be interrupted.

I narrowed my eyes, not wanting to give in to his little game, but also dying to know what the hell he was talking about.

Will obviously had no intention of continuing on his own, so I eventually caved.

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to elaborate on that."

"You said get to the point. That is gist of it."

"How about you give me the whole story with as minimal amount of detail you can without making it nonsensical, ok?"

"Not possible. It's all or nothing." He took a bite of his sandwich and waited. _God he's annoying. _

"Fine. Go on then. I only have a few years though, so try to keep it succinct will you?"

He glared at me, then continued.

"So we were at this bar, Magnus and I, not Alec; that would have been weird and not made much sense." He was doing this on purpose.

I let him ramble on, zoning out every now and then while I ate. Eventually, what seemed like years later, he came to the part where he'd "rescued" Magnus from the "persistent slut" and I could fill the next step in for myself.

"Jesus; Alec saw you didn't he?" I knew Alec well enough to know that he would NOT have reacted well to that situation. His mind jumps to conclusions much too readily and his fear of confrontation would have likely led to him just turning around and spending the rest of the night freaking out.

"Apparently. We didn't know though; he didn't come up and say anything. He just left from what I gathered." Will seemed less than impressed with such behavior and, though it wasn't how I would've handled things, I knew Alec couldn't help it. He just wasn't hardwired to make a scene.

"So how did he end up at your house?"

"I was getting there when you so rudely interrupted and jumped ahead. I have half a mind to start all over from the beginning."

"If you do I will throw this plate at you and leave." I told him in all seriousness. He sighed dramatically and continued from when Alec stormed off. His little brother, who is also friends with Alec and Isabelle (heavens this city is small) had bumped into a very drunk and upset Alec at Taki's and took him back to Magnus and Will's.

Jace had filled Will in while Magnus had been trying to calm Alec down.

"Is he ok?"

"I have no idea. I would imagine so, if the sounds coming from Magnus's door this morning are anything to go by; of course that may also have been torture, perhaps I should have checked."

"Do you _try_ to be this infuriating, or does it just come naturally to you?"

"It is a gift."

"It should be returned."

He threw his balled up napkin at me, but I dodged.

"You are a child."

He just grinned ridiculously.

"I take it I can assume you haven't spoken to either of them today?"

"Correct. I wasn't sure if Alec was the kind of person who needed a formal apology, despite the fact that I didn't actually do anything _wrong _per se, or if he'd just rather ignore it and move on."

I laughed at the idea of Alec moving on over something like that that simply.

"You need to talk to him and clear the air."

"I'm sure Magnus has already explained."

"Doesn't matter. It's going to eat at him until he hears it from your mouth too."

"That's a little immature."

I shrugged, being used to Alec's quarks. He hasn't had the best luck with relationships and has a right to be leery, even if he does take it overboard sometimes.

"Says the grown man who just threw a napkin at me and has been seriously contemplating the pros and cons of spitballs for the last fifteen minutes. Yeah, don't think I haven't noticed what you've even doing with that straw wrapper."

He made a face that resembled that of a child who's just been caught with their hand in a cooking jar.

"I'm not sure this relationship can continue; you're far too attuned to my behaviors." He grumbled, scattering the little bits of rolled up paper onto the floor.

"Pouting is certainly helping your cause." I added once I was sure all of the potential projectiles were disposed of.

"How did this conversation become about me?"

"Your mouth was moving?" I suggested. "Ow!" He'd kicked me under the table. "If you're going to resort to violence we should take this out of public; we both know how it will end." The precedent had been set for every bout of play fighting between the two of us to end on a bed…or a sofa…or a floor...

"Who says I'm even willing to sleep with you after the way you've been treating me this afternoon?" He was a horrible bluff.

"Suit yourself." I got up to leave and didn't look back.

"I hate you." Will grumbled, falling into pace beside me right as I walked out the door.

"So dramatic today." He nudged me with his shoulder before slipping his hand into mine.

"Where shall we go?"

"Well, if you'd like to come back to my apartment we could find _something _to do until 6 when Alec gets home from work and the two of you can get this talk out of the way."

He contemplated for a minute then turned us around.

"My place it is."

"You will _have _to deal with this at some point."

"Why? It's not my responsibility to reassure him. That's Magnus's job, and I'm sure he's got a handle on it."

"I'm telling you, I know Alec and you're going to need to clear the air if you ever expect him get along with you." Hopefully that would be all it would take… Alec is notorious for holding grudges.

"Do we _need_ to get along?"

"About as much as Magnus and I do." He hmph-ed at my analogy, but at least the point seemed to have sunk in. There was silence for a block or two while he thought it over.

"Fine. I'll get around to it." He took his keys out and unlocked the door to his house, ushering me inside.

His house was far more decorated and bright than my and Alec's living quarters; much more home-like and lived in. The woodwork was a distressed white, offset by the pastel green of the walls and ocean blue furniture. There was a distinct beachy theme to the place.

We kicked our shoes off and Will went to the kitchen to get us something to drink while I went over to the sofa.

There were a few framed photographs on the walls and on the end tables, along with a couple photo album under the coffee table. I guessed they were probably taken by Magnus; Alec had told me he was working on becoming a photojournalist. I reached for one of the albums and my hand was pounced upon by what appeared to be a large white cotton ball.

"Hey you," I picked it up and it latched onto my hand, biting and licking like Church used to do when he was a kitten. "Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?"

"I don't think he speaks Chinese." Will informed me, setting my cup of tea down on one of the seashell coasters and sitting down next to me on the couch. "He's a little devil. You can just toss him somewhere, eventually he takes the hint and goes back to Magnus's bed."

"William, that's horrible. I'm not going to _toss_ him anywhere. Besides, he's absolutely adorable."

Will snorted while the 'little devil' nuzzled his head against my palm, then bit it ferociously.

"What did you say to him?"

"I asked his name; he doesn't seem to want to be very forthcoming with it." I scratched behind his ears and he flipped himself over trying to reach my fingers. It was possibly the most delightful thing I've ever seen.

"It's Chairman Meow."

I looked pointedly at him.

"And yet you don't think he speaks Chinese?" He laughed at the unintentional irony of his previous statement. The kitten snuggled itself down into the crook of my arm and started his grooming process.

"I'll have to let Magnus know how much his cat has taken a liking to you. He thinks the thing is a good judge of character."

"You don't?" I asked, pretending to be hurt.

"I think he likes anyone who doesn't swat him away when he bites. That doesn't necessarily mean good people, just cat lovers."

"One and the same." Chairman Meow meowed in agreement, or frustration with his fluff, I couldn't be sure.

"Duìle, do those albums have any embarrassing photos of you in them?" I motioned towards the books I'd been reaching for when I was interrupted by the kitten.

"What? Oh, no. Those are all of Magnus. You don't want to see them." He answered, a little too quickly.

"Not even one single picture of you, in three albums? I find that hard to believe."

"I resent your implications."

"You could just show me and prove my implications wrong."

"Or you could learn to trust me. This hurts Jem." He pretended to pout, trying to get me to give up on my quest. The more aggressively he tried to steer me away from it though the more I couldn't let it go. There had to be something amazing between those pages if he was getting so defensive.

I reached for his hand (with the arm that didn't have a cat cradled in it) and kisses his palm and then each finger.

"Please? I want to see."

He narrowed his eyes at me while my lips made their way to the inside of his wrist.

"That's not fair. How am I supposed to say no to you?" He scooted closer, making it easier for me to reach the crook of his arm.

"You're not."

"Fine. You can look at the recent one." He pulled a blue and green leather bound album from its place under the table.

"That's no fun; I know what you look like _now_." I could tell I was pushing my luck, but a few more kisses and he caved.

"If you laugh at my baby photos I'm kicking you out." He warned, handing over the oldest looking book and putting the other one back in its place.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I got comfortable next to him (aggravating the cat into leaving unfortunately) and opened the large album.

The first photograph was an old wedding portrait of a young man and a woman who Will resembled greatly.

"Ma and da on their wedding day." He flipped the page and showed me some of their honeymoon. "They went back to where they met, Wales, where my da is from. Ma was on a backpacking trip when the met. It was the night she got there and, according to da, it was love at first sight. Must've been; he uprooted and followed her to the States. Really pissed of his parents."

He indicated a photo of what must've been the aforementioned grandparents.

"I never met them. They disinherited da for abandoning the family business to peruse his love. It was supposed to go to his younger brother, but Uncle Stephen moved here a few years later, when he was old enough to get away." He pointed out a few more older photographs of his family, showing me his Uncle Stephen (who looked a lot like his father and who Jace favored) and his wife Amatis.

Then the baby photos began. He tried to flip passed them as fast as possible, so I had to keep pushing his hand away and turning back pages to see. There were a few of just him and his parents, then a lot more once his sister Cecily was born.

"This is one of my favorites." He pointed out one of him holding Cecily sitting in his mother's lap. "It was taken right after she was born. I can't really remember it, but I love the photo."

"You all look so much alike." Jet black hair, smiling blue eyes.

"I know; it makes Jace look adopted in his baby photos when da's not in there with him." He skipped forward to show me while I rested my head comfortably on his shoulder as we continued.

"Wow. It really looks like you stole him." I pointed to an image if Will holding a tiny baby Jace at the piano while Cecily tried in earnest to get his attention.

"I used to tell Cecily he was a changeling and the fairies had taken our real brother." He started laughing at some memory he hadn't let me in on yet. "I had to stop after ma and da caught her trying to "give him back to his real parents" by leaving him in the middle of the woods." He apparently found this hilarious. I was slightly appalled.

"Are you serious?"

"Yup. Thank god she didn't believe me when I told her the fairies lived under the lake."

"Will!"

"I was a little kid. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Don't worry, I was punished liberally for it."

The jokes faded as we neared the end of the album and he got very quiet when we reached Jace's eighth birthday photographs. The last page was a single image; a family portrait right after Will had turned twelve. I recognized it as being a duplicate of a larger one hanging on the wall.

"And that brings us to the end. This is the last family photo that was taken before they died."

The comment caught me off guard. I had no idea his parents weren't still alive.

"You should've said something before; I wouldn't have forced you into looking at these if I had known." I put my hand in his, not knowing what else to do.

"I wouldn't have let you talk me into it if I didn't want to." He closed the album and placed it back in its home under the table before opening the next one. "It was a car accident; not too long after that photo was taken. We went to live with my aunt and uncle after that. That's what this album is; mostly my high school years. Magnus was just getting into photography back then so a lot of these are just mess ups that we found too hilarious to throw out or really obviously posed shots." He moved over the subject of his parents quickly and I didn't try to push the topic; details about sad things came with time and patience, I knew that from Alec.

So we looked at all of his high school pictures, the mood gradually shifting to a lighter, more jovial feel.

I had to stifle my laughter at the set of photos in which a fifteen year old Will had given his friend full control over wardrobe and make up. He assured me that was the _last _time that happened.

I particularly enjoyed his 12th grade "anti-prom" outfit. The event had been themed as a Victorian English masquerade and apparently half the school showed up to Magnus's house instead of the actual prom. I'd gathered that he was a world class party planner with parents that were out of town most days apparently.

"This time period suits you." I told Will, committing the image of him in his Victorian attire to memory. There was just something about seeing him like that, all dressed up with gloves and hat and everything, which was peculiarly sexy.

"I've been told something of the like. Perhaps I should go about dressed like a 19th century gentleman all the time."

"I'm not so sure you could pull of the _gentleman_ part, but I can't say I'd mind you trying."

He raised an eyebrow and pressed his lips against my ear.

"I'll have to see what I can do." He put the remaining album with the one we'd been looking at and placed them both under the table. "I'm bored of reminiscing; let's do something more fun." His hands slid up and down my arms.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

He leaned forward and kissed me deeply in answer. I turned my body to deepen our kiss and get closer to him.

Our soft kiss quickly heated and I was on my back on the couch with a shitless Will on top of me before my brain could even register what was happening. Not that I was complaining once it had.

My hands explored Will's chest, enjoying the cool skin beneath my fingertips. He kissed my neck softly while unbuttoning the first few buttons of my shirt.

I let myself sink into the feeling of his mouth on my body.

After in succeeding in removing my shirt and leaving it somewhere on the couch, Will broke our contact for long enough to pull us off the couch and lead me to his bedroom. It was a bit larger than mine, with an adjoining bathroom. I didn't have much time to notice anything else, other than the fact that he had an extremely comfortable mattress and a very useful headboard...

* * *

"Don't you want to stay?" Will crooned, pressing his lips against my shoulder while his hands massaged my back.

I did. His hands felt like heaven and his bed was so warm and comfortable. My head sunk into the high quality pillows. I had to go though; it was almost six.

"I can't. I have flash cards to make and I told Alec I'd be home tonight."

"So, tell him you changed your mind. You can make your flash cards here, with me." His soft lips contacted the base of my neck, trying to convince me to change my plans.

"William." My tone chastised his attempts, despite the fact that my body was enjoying it greatly.

"James." He breathed in my ear, sending chills of pleasure through my body. I leaned my head back against his shoulder and his arm wrapped around my waist, holding me close to his body.

"I'll leave in an hour."


	26. What Being in the Middle Feels Like

**Look what I managed to do! Another chapter for my lovlies. It's one of the short in between ones, this time between Alec and Jem instead of the usual Magnus and Will. **

**I just want to point out real quick that this story almost has 300 reviews and I am absolutely amazed and astonished and grateful that so many lovely people like what I'm writing and have encouraged me to continue. Thank you guys for being so awesome. This is by far my longest writing project and I hope you will all stick with me until the end (which isn't likely to happen until about Christmas time; at the earliest.) **

**Anyway: enjoy! (and don't forget to tell me how you like it!) **

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**Tuesday October 13 Chapter 26: What Being in the Middle Feels Like**

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**Alec POV:**

"Hey boy, where's Jem?" I asked Church, who was wrapping himself around my legs while I tried to walk farther into the apartment. I will never understand why cats do that; they attempt to get your attention by trying to trip you up and making you fall to your death. If you're dead there will be no one to feed them. Why don't they get that?

I made it safely to the kitchen, eventually, and poured him a bowl of fresh food (since apparently the full bowl of hours-old food wasn't good enough for him).

It was a little past six so I decided to go ahead and start dinner, figuring Jem would be home soon enough. Even if not, I was starving. I hadn't eaten anything since this morning when Magnus had dropped me back off here.

I thought back on my morning as I put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta and took out a box of shrimp scampi from the freezer.

This morning was amazing.

_Magnus _was amazing.

I had been sure that all of the stuff that came up about Sebastian was going to make him call it all off right then and there, but he hadn't. He was one of the most understanding people I've ever met. I felt like I needed to pinch myself all day just to make sure that what was happening was real and not a fantastical dream.

Despite the gamut of emotions I'd been through in the last twenty or so hours, I was not emotionally drained enough to not be giddy about him.

I couldn't wait for Jem to get home so I could recount to him (the slightly edited version of) my night.

* * *

**Jem POV:**

Walking into the apartment I was immediately hit by the delicious smell of buttery garlic shrimp. It was so nice living with a roommate who enjoyed cooking.

I was already feeling relaxed and content from the incredible body massage I had been rewarded with for agreeing to stay another hour in Will's bed, and now I got dinner too? This day couldn't get any better.

"That smells amazing." I told Alec, walking into the kitchen right as he plated our meals.

"Perfect timing." He sat the full bowls on the table and we poured ourselves drinks before sitting down. "How was your day?"

"It was a lot better once I was finished with that exam this morning. I think I did well on it. How about you? Are you ok?" I asked tentatively, not sure if he'd want to go right into what had happened or whether he wanted to work up to it.

"Yeah, more than, really. Hey, I'm sorry about not letting you know I wouldn't be home last night; I didn't actually mean to stay out, but some... stuff... came up."

"I heard." I thought it would be weird if I let him go through the entire story without telling him I knew first.

"From who?" He looked confused at how I could have possibly known. It isn't as if Magnus and I secretly have gossipy lunches behind his back, and I don't even know Will's little brother, though I have heard Alec mention him a few times. More so before he started dating Magnus.

"Will." I admitted. He was predictably shocked.

"Will as in Jace's brother Will?"

"Will as in Magnus's roommate Will. Yes." I watched his facial expressions change as his brain comprehended what I was saying.

"How do you know Will and since when are you two close enough to be gossiping about my personal life?" He snapped, pitch somewhere between shock and horror. Obviously, he was still holding a grudge for what'd happened last night.

"We weren't gossiping about your personal life Alec, you know I wouldn't do that. Will and I had lunch today and he thought I should know what actually happened in case you had called me last night ranting about how you caught my boyfriend making out with your boyfriend and..." I trailed off as Alec froze with a forkful of food halfway up to his mouth.

"Your _what?_" He replied incredulously after a full minute of silent processing. "Jem, you cannot be serious. You aren't really _dating _that guy, are you?" He looked absolutely horrified, as if I'd just told him I was dating the devil; which, to him, maybe I had.

"You have a skewed perspective of him because of how you met. Trust me, he's a good guy. Once you get to know him-"

"I don't _want _to get to know him Jem. And I can't believe you're defending him!"

"Alec you're overreacting. I understand you're upset and it's not for me to apologize for him, but you should believe me when I tell you you're misjudging him."

"You didn't see what I did."

"And you didn't see what you thought you did." He didn't have an immediate comeback for that. I hoped that meant I was getting through to him.

"Even if it didn't happen the way I thought it did at first, I still think he was way beyond inappropriate; especially now that I know he's dating _you_. There's no excusable reason for his actions."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly was Magnus's "excusable reason" because if there's any fault to be placed it should be distributed evenly between them." I wasn't trying to be mean, but he was making it difficult not to be.

"He explained that there's nothing going on between them and acknowledged that it was a stupid thing to do. And he apologized. A lot. Unlike Will." He added that last part snidely.

"You haven't even seen him since it happened! He's going to apologize."

"Because you told him to?"

"No. He thought about it before asking me, but he wasn't sure if you'd want him to or if you'd just want to pretend like it didn't happen. He was thinking about _you_ and _your _feelings." I tried to emphasized the fact that Will _had_ considered his feelings and wasn't the villain Alec was making him out to be.

He didn't look like he believed me. His eyes were transfixed on the wall behind me and his hands were absentmindedly worrying the hems of his sweater sleeves. I knew that look; he was building his next argument. I needed to cut him off before we ended up spending the entire evening bickering.

"Are you and Magnus still together?" I was fairly certain I knew the answer to that, but I was trying to make a point.

"What?" He was pulled back into the moment by my question. "Yes, of course."

"So why did you forgive him but you won't even give Will a chance to apologize? You know that I'm right about them being equally to blame, can you at least talk to him before you finalize your opinion of him?." Alec looked like he could chew nails, but he couldn't fight the truth.

He just sat there and glared at his bowl for a minute before speaking.

"Fine." The reluctant agreement didn't sound very sincere, but it was likely to be the best I was going to get this evening. "How long have you been dating? And why didn't you tell me before?" He moped.

"Officially just since Thursday; and we didn't realize about each other's roommates until then either. I would have told you over the weekend, but you weren't exactly around to talk to."

"Does Magnus know?" He was pouting now, resembling a petulant child.

"Will told him yesterday, but I'm sure it slipped his mind, what with everything else that happened. That was actually the point of Will taking him out for drinks." I considered that I should have phrased that differently when Alec stabbed rather violently at his shrimp and pasta.

"How did you meet?" He asked after a few more minutes of tense silence. He didn't seem truly interested, but I knew he felt he should ask. Alec had been raised in a strict household and there was only so long he could go on being rude. Even when the situation called for it.

Not that this one did.

I explained the brief history of mine and Will's relationship, hoping that he would be less critical when he heard what Will was really like.

I could tell Alec still wasn't happy about it when I'd finished, but I'd done what I could for my boyfriend's reputation and it would be up to the two of them to get the rest straight. I couldn't apologize for him, and Alec wouldn't have accepted it anyway. He needed to talk to Will and get this mess sorted out.

"I have to go study." Alec told me after I'd finished talking and our bowls were empty. He put the dishes in the dishwasher and left the room without waiting for me to reply.

* * *

I returned to my bedroom, frustrated with the outcome of our conversation. Conflict always leaves me feeling sick and it was worse when it was with Alec. He and I almost never get sideways with each other, and technically it wasn't me he was angry with now. It was just that I was the nearest outlet, and I was defending the person he felt wronged by.

I was in the middle, trying to convince Will that Alec really wasn't as immature as he'd seemed, while trying to convince Alec that Will wasn't as bad of a person as he'd seemed. There was no winning for me until they talked to each other.

I lay on my bed with Church curled up in my arms and dialed Will's number.

"Missing me already?" He answered, after the first ring.

"Hey," my tone was much less pleasant than his.

"What's wrong?" His tone immediately took on the same concerned note that Alec got whenever I have any sign of being sick.

"I just finished dinner with Alec." I heard him let out a sigh.

"I take it that didn't go over very well?"

"I'm pretty sure your assumptions were spot on and he hates you with the very depths of his soul. Despite the fact that he's being completely hypocritical and forgives Magnus unreservedly." I felt immediately guilty for speaking ill of Alec behind his back. Even if it was true.

"Well, I can't say I'm that surprised. Although, I really think by now he should've gotten over it. Do you still think I should talk to him?" He sounded like he hoped I would say no.

"Please? Sooner rather than later. I can't stand feeling like I'm in the middle; especially between two people who mean so much to me." I didn't want to sound like I was begging, but I desperately wanted this to stop, and if I had to resort to shameless flattery to get it done then so be it.

"Give him some time, I'm sure he'll come around. And I'll try my best to fix it ok? Don't worry about it anymore." I let his words reassure me, even though he was probably just saying what I wanted to hear. It still helped me feel less depressed.

"Promise?" I asked for confirmation.

"Anything for you, James."

That, I believed.


	27. When Inspiration Strikes

Whoops... I was suppose to post this one before the Jem/Alec one... Oh well. Just pretend like it goes in between the two. Essentially at the same time. It's just a tiny cutesy thing that popped into my head, so I apologize for getting you hopes up if you wanted a real chapter.

Also this is updated on my phone so I will go back and fix formats and such tonight.

* * *

Tuesday October 13, Chapter 27: When Inspiration Strikes.

* * *

"Finally you're home!" I had just finished writing a text to Magnus asking when he would be back when he walked in the door.

"I didn't realize I was being missed so much or I would've rushed back as soon as I got out if class."

"No, it's probably best you didn't do that.." I'm not sure he would've enjoyed walking in on Jem trying to wrestle his shirt away from me before he left. "But you're here now and that's what's important. We need to have a Halloween party this year."

"Ok... I distinctly remember you saying I was never allowed to throw a party in your house again after last year.

I remembered too. I had come home from a twelve hour shift at four am and my house was full of loud, drunk, half-dressed people. I eventually had to literally kick everyone out around six when I couldn't take the noise any longer.

Magnus and I hadn't talked for two days and then when we finally did I forbade him from throwing parties with the threat of eviction.

"I know I did, but I've changed my mind. You have to throw one this year, just not as ridiculous as you used to." I really didn't want a repeat of that night.

"It's cutting it pretty close. I only have a couple weeks to invite people, decorate, find a costume... I'd resigned myself to a quiet night in. You're asking a lot." He was diliberately making a big deal out of it.

"Magnus, I'm asking you to throw a party. Something you could arrange in your sleep. And I'll pay."

"You say the nicest things. I'll get started on the invitations " I knew that would get him to agree.

"Thank you." I hugged him.

"Ok you're freaking me out now. Why the sudden change of heart?" He narrowed his eyes at me. I just shrugged, trying not to look anymore suspicious than I already had.

"I just feel like dressing up."


	28. How to Cure a Cold With Cuddles

**So I started this chapter FOREVER ago back in August when I had a really bad cold and my boyfriend was taking care of me and all I wanted to do was lay in bed and write. And now I have FINALLY made it to here, so yay! **

**Also, BooksBeforeLife you were my 300th reviewer so thank you! :) And thank everyone else who has been reviewing as well. I love it when new people wander in and let me know they stayed up all night reading this or that they think it's awesome and can't wait for me. I really appreciate it. I also love all of you who have reviewed on almost every update and have stuck with me from the beginning like two months ago. I can't believe I haven't gotten bored yet and it's very much thanks to all of you who review. So thanks )**

**Disclaimer: All brand names I mention in the below text are copyrighted and don't belong to me in anyway. **

* * *

**Thursday October 15 Chapter 28: How to Cure a Cold With Cuddles.**

* * *

I woke up Thursday morning with one hell of a headache and a pain in my neck.

I thought perhaps my neck was sore from one of Magnus's love bites, but quickly realized that that was not the case when I went to feel it.

My glands were swollen. I was fighting off something; something that came with a headache that made my cranium feel like it was being pounded on by a jackhammer.

I immediately went to the bathroom medicine cabinet to look for the bottle of lozenges that promised shorter colds and less severe symptoms. After taking said pills I weighed the pros and cons of skipping class and crawling back into bed. I didn't have class until 1 today so I could at least try to sleep this off until noon. After that it was just my night class. I wasn't sure I could spend three hours listening to my teacher lecture on about the anthropology of illness while my body fought off my sickness, but I couldn't skip. It was only a once a week class.

I fell back into bed and set my alarm, hoping the headache would be gone when I got up again.

* * *

You know the saying 'be careful what you wish for'? Well, my headache went away, only to be replaced with a _god awful_ sore throat. I couldn't talk and it hurt to swallow. It felt like my esophagus was being sandpapered and to top that off my forehead was burning up.

I got out my computer and logged on to the class website to send out an ever-popular mass e-mail. There was no way I was making it to class today.

I'd just laid back down after asking for notes for both of my classes when I heard my phone ringing. Checking the screen I saw the picture of Magnus that he'd sent me a few days ago: him holding Chairman Meow looking sleepy, about to go to bed. I had a few others, but this was my favorite picture of him so far.

Even the thought of talking hurt, so I hit ignore and immediately wrote him a text.

**Sorry, I have a REALLY bad sore throat so I can't talk. What's up?**

**Aww :( I just got out of French and was going to see if you wanted to get lunch before class. I'm guessing that's a no. Do you want me to bring you anything? 3**

**No thanks, I'm just going to go back to sleep. **

**Ok *kiss* sweet dreams. I'll text you later. **

I put my phone on the nightstand and pulled the covers over my head, hoping to sleep away my illness.

* * *

I woke up freezing with my jaw clenched tight from having a sore throat.

_Fuuuucccckkkkk._

I wrapped the blanket around me and reached for my phone, quickly pulling my arm back into the warmth of my goose down cocoon. It was only 4:22 pm. I had a few more texts from Magnus, but I skipped over them to text Jem, hoping he was home and willing to bring me some medicine. I _really_ didn't want to step on that cold bathroom floor.

**Hey, are you home? **

**I am, why?**

**Can you sit some cold medicine and a glass of water at my door? Pleeeeeaaassseeee?**

I heard Jem's door open and footsteps down the hall.

**What are your symptoms? **I assumed he was rummaging through our overstocked medicine cabinet.

**VERY sore throat and high fever. You could turn the heat up while you're out there too if you wanted...to like, 100. **

I could hear him laugh as he read my message. There was another voice then, a man's. I couldn't hear what they were saying though.

**Hey... Will is here... Do you mind if he comes in a checks on you? He's a bit more qualified than I. **

I really didn't want anyone coming in my room seeing me shivering and sick, least of all Will, but I also didn't want to spread my germs to Jem, so I chose the lesser of two evils. I replied with an **alright**, and sat up, trying to look a little less helpless than I felt.

There was a soft knock on my door, then it opened and Will came in.

I glared at him, but he greeted me with a trying smile.

"Hey Alec." He crossed the room, setting my glass of water on the night stand. "May I?" he asked, pointing to the bed. I nodded and he sat down next to me, handing over the thermometer. He checked my glands while my fever was being calculated, making me wince in pain.

"Say 'ah'," he ordered, taking the thermometer out of my mouth when it beeped. I did as requested and he shined a penlight into my mouth. "Hmm... well it doesn't _look _like strep, but I'd still suggest you see a doctor if the sore throat doesn't go away in a day or two. Here, take these," he handed me two gel caps and I cringed at the thought of swallowing them. I sat them on my nightstand, nodding in agreement. "You can take them every four to six hours, make sure you do to keep that fever down. Have you eaten anything?" He spoke in a very professional tone, not acknowledging my hostility or the awkwardness at all.

I shook my head.

"Do you want anything?" He was being really nice, but I still couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy at his relationship with Magnus, and that scene from the bar kept replying itself over and over in my head. Logically I knew their relationship was strictly platonic, but how many times had he taken care of _my _boyfriend like this? How many times had he nursed him back to health? Comforted him? I was glad I couldn't talk, because I probably wouldn't have been able to stop myself from saying something I'd regret.

I just shook my head again.

"Look, I know you probably don't want to talk about this right now, but it seems like a great time for me since you can't interrupt." I narrowed my eyes at him, weighing the costs of telling him to get out with the pain it would cause.

"I'm sorry about Monday night. As, I'm sure, Magnus told you, you had the wrong idea about what was going on. Neither of us would ever do anything like that. I know that probably doesn't make you like me anymore, and honestly I don't really care, but I know Magnus and James do. They want us to get along and I want them to be happy. I'm sure you do too. So if you still want to hate me in private, go right ahead, but can we at least agree to pretend to get along in front of them?"

I thought about his proposal. Magnus did talk about wanting us to get along a lot, and Jem had gone through an awful lot of trouble trying to convince me of Will's worthiness.

I nodded that yes, I would pretend for Jem and Magnus. Their happiness was more important that my petty grudge.

"Thank you. If you need anything just let me or Jem know ok?" I nodded again, even though I would rather starve than ask him to get me anything, and he left me to my misery. I could hear his and Jem's muffled voices get quieter and then a door being closed.

I grabbed my phone again and looked at the messages from Magnus I had skipped over earlier. Two were silly pictures of cats with 'get well' captions and the last was right before his class started asking if I needed anything when he got out at 5:30pm.

**A miracle cure so I can make it to class tomorrow morning would be great, but I don't think you have that, so no thanks. **

**Will is over, btw...**

I wasn't expecting a reply until class let out. He was in figure drawing and his hands were probably covered in charcoal or graphite at the moment.

So instead I turned my attention over the glass of water and the pills, trying to muster up the courage to take them. My fever was really high and I wanted the chills to stop, but my throat hurt soooooo bad.

_Maybe in a few minutes..._

* * *

An hour and a half later my water was warm and I was still cold. Ok, so I'm a baby when it comes to taking medication. Admitting it is the first step, right?

_Knock, knock, knock._

I figured it was Will checking on me, so I didn't bother to get up and answer it.

My door opened after a moment of me not responding and a tall figure walked in. It was dark in my room, only the fading light coming through my window illuminated the space, but I would recognize that silhouette anywhere.

"Magnus, go away! You don't want to catch this." I warned, regretting it immediately. The words came out quiet and very painful. I felt like I had swallowed glass.

"I live with a nurse, which is close to the same as living with a kindergartener. I have acquired the immune system of an elephant."

I smiled weakly and he sat down next to me on the bed, as Will had done earlier; I enjoyed this company much more. He put his hand in mine and his smile turned concerned.

"Baby, you're burning up! Didn't Will give you any medicine?"

I looked at him sheepishly, then over at the nightstand.

"Why didn't you take them?"

I put my hand to my throat and tried my best to facially convey that it was because it was too painful.

"I know it hurts, but it's not going to get better if you don't take something. I'll be right back." He put his hand on my shoulder and took my water before leaving the room. A moment later he was back with a glass of chocolate milk.

"Here, try with this. It won't hurt as bad." He put the glass in one of my hands and the pills in the other. I looked down at them and pouted. "Alexander. Now."

I grudgingly put one between my teeth and stared into the chocolate milk.

"Baby. It will make you feel better."

I knew I was being a child in front of my boyfriend and I hated myself for it, so I resolved to suck it up and take my medicine.

It surprisingly didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Why had I never tried chocolate milk before? Every other liquid felt like acid going down when I had a sore throat, but this wasn't that bad.

"Good job." Magnus took the glass from me and sat it back on the nightstand, pulling me into a hug. I was still shivering, but it felt good to be held. Even though I was worried he was going to get sick, and embarrassed that he had to see me like this.

"Is it ok if I stay with you tonight or would you rather Jem take care of you?" He sounded insecure and a part of me secretly enjoyed it, especially since I'd been jealous over pretty much the same thing earlier thinking about Will and him.

I pointed to Magnus indicating that I would prefer him to take care of me, then got out my phone and turned the screen so that he could see while I was typing.

**I usually try to make Jem go to his parents' house or somewhere else when I'm contagious. He doesn't have a very strong immune system. **

"We can switch places for the weekend then." He said, smiling. He kissed me on the forehead, "I'm going to go talk to Will and get some things from my house, I'll be back soon though ok?"

**No! You're going to catch this plague! I can take care of myself, run away and don't come back until I'm all better.**

Even though I desperately wanted him to stay, I couldn't stand feeling so helpless that he had to take care of me. And I was still concerned that he was going to catch this and I'd feel horrible about that.

He laughed as he read the words I wrote. "I told you darling, I never get sick. And you obviously can't even be trusted to take your medication! I'm taking care of you and that's final. I have classes from ten to twelve tomorrow, but I don't work, so you'll have Nurse Bane at your service all day after that." He hugged me quickly and left before I could respond. I thought about texting him, but I knew it would be a waste of time. Jem however...

**Don't listen to whatever Magnus is telling you, except that you should probably stay somewhere else til my fever goes away. He's insane. Make him leave.**

**Alec, are you just being stubborn or do you really want me to make him leave? Are you guys ok?**

Looked like Jem was only going to be on my side if there was an actual _reason _for it. Hmph.

**Stubborn...**

He didn't reply, but I heard a lot of walking around and doors opening. I laid back against my pillows, waiting for the medication to take effect.

* * *

Sometime later there was a knock on my door and Magnus reappeared, carrying a large duffle bag in one hand and his backpack on his shoulder. He dropped them both on the floor next to my dresser and sat next to me on the bed.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" He put a hand on my forehead to gage the relative severity of my fever.

I shrugged. I felt less cold but my throat was still killing me.

"I brought you some soup if you're hungry. You really need to get something on your stomach."

I was hungry, being that I hadn't eaten anything today and it was almost seven, so I nodded and he left to bring me my soup.

It was tomato; my favorite when I'm sick. Jem must've told him. I cautiously sipped on a spoonful and, despite the discomfort of it going down, my body rejoiced at having food at last. I don't know if it was because of the medicine finally making my fever go down or the heat of the soup, but I was starting to feel a lot warmer. I wasn't shaking anymore, so that was a plus.

**Thank you **

I showed Magnus my phone and smiled for emphasis. I was sure I looked as bad as I felt, but it didn't seem to bother him one bit. He just smiled down at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It would have made me blush if I hadn't already been so feverish.

"Keep eating, I'm going to put a movie on." Magnus climbed off the bed and unzipped the previously forgotten duffle bag, pulling out a stack of DVD's and flipping through them. "We'll start here." He put one of the movies in without showing it to me, then snuggled up next to me again.

We spent the next hour and a half watching Disney's _Aladdin. _I laid my head on his shoulder after finishing my soup and he put his arm around me. It was so silly and innocent; watching cartoons and cuddling fully dressed (and covered in blankets in my case), but it was perfect. I felt so much better just having him near and he was amazing at cheering me up.

I don't know when I fell asleep, sometime after _Robin Hood _and another dose of medicine and before the end of _Atlantis the Lost Empire, _but before I knew it I was waking up to the sound of my own teeth chattering, violently shaking and curled up into a ball.

I couldn't see Magnus anywhere in the dimly lit room. I wanted to call out for him, but when I spoke it only came out a raspy whisper; it wasn't excruciating, but it was still sore. I rolled over in bed to see if I could make out the time on my alarm clock and was greeted by a grey, fury face inches from mine on the pillow.

Church.

"Go get Magnus." I told him. Not expecting him to actually move, since he wouldn't even come when I called him for dinner, let alone carry out an order meant for a human, but he meowed once and jumped down, knocking the remote controls to the floor in a clattering mess.

"Alec?" I heard my name called from the other room, followed by footsteps then a figure appearing through my door. "Baby!" Magnus exclaimed when he saw me. He strode over to the bed and felt my forehead.

"We need to get that fever down." He announced, scanning the ingredients list on the box of cold medicine. "I'll be right back ok?"

I nodded; not like I was going to go anywhere. I tried to calm my shivering while Magnus talked on his phone outside of my room. He must've been talking to Will because I could hear him saying something about fever and ibuprofen and dosages. After a minute he came back with a small glass of chocolate milk and a tiny maroon pill.

"Here," he helped me sit up. "This is just ibuprofen, it should start working soon." He held the glass to my lips since I was shaking too much to hold it myself. "Now to get you to stop shaking..."

I stared in wonder and Magnus stripped off his shirt and pants in front of me and climbed into bed in nothing but his bright purple boxer briefs. He laughed at the look on my face and the death grip I had on my comforter, the only thing between me and him.

"I'm not going to molest my plague-ridden boyfriend. Body heat works better than blankets, and you shouldn't be all bundled up anyway." My grip loosened on the blanket and I allowed him to spread it over us both. His hands felt like they were shocking my sensitive skin as they slid my shirt off over my head and removed my flannel pajama pants swiftly. I felt incredibly self-conscious in just my ratty boxers, even though I'd been naked in front of him, and him in front of me before. It was only once though and in the four days since, we hadn't had the opportunity to even come close to being that intimate again. Though, before getting sick, I had been hoping for a non-hung over reenactment on Friday night when we'd scheduled a romantic dinner.

Right now though, I didn't have enough energy to be embarrassed _and_ sick, and the sickness didn't seem to want to give way for the former, so I let him turn me around and pull my scorching body close to his. Magnus's chest felt cool on my back at first, his thighs cool on the backs of my thighs, but quickly I started to feel myself relax into him. His hand moved up and down my bicep, side, and chest, building up warmth in the friction. I leaned my head against his neck and breathed deeply. My teeth-chattering had ceased and Magnus's grip on my body was easing my shivering.

"You are so perfect." I whispered, pressing myself so close to him that it felt like we were melting into one.

"Nobody's perfect." He chuckled softly on my ear.

"You are. You're so perfect and wonderful and sweet and I don't deserve you." My words earned another soft laugh.

"My darling, delirious Alexander; it is I who don't deserve you. I lo-" he stopped short and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder before continuing. "I like you so, so much more than I've like anyone in a long time. I hope you know how much I care about you."

I grabbed hold of his hand and held it to my chest, across my heart.

"I do. This isn't exactly how most people want to spend their Thursday nights, but I'm so happy you're here. You make everything better. I'm so lucky to have found you." A tear involuntarily slid down my face. I wanted to wipe it away before he noticed, but that would have meant untangling my hands from his and that would've brought just as much attention to it, so I just kept my eyes closed and hoped he didn't notice. It was pretty dark in my room anyway.

"You are so beautiful." I felt his lips whisper at my ear, then kiss the tear soaked path from my chin to my eye, ending with a light brush of his lips to my closed eyelid.

I smiled and let myself sink into the moment. The sweet scent of vanilla and sandalwood, the strong, but gentle embrace, the beating of his heart against my back, the way his legs intertwined with mine. It was all so beautiful; so overwhelming.

"Are you starting to feel alright?" He was referring to the fever, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the sheer inadequacy of that work at describing how I felt with him.

"I am. I told you, you make everything better." I turned to face him, now feeling warm and toasty under the comforter. Our legs tangled once more and his arm snaked across my waist, holding me close and tight. I looked up into that handsome face that was currently cast in a deep shadow because of the light at his back. I couldn't make out the features well, but his eyes still shone bright, glassy almost, as if he'd been holding back tears.

_He couldn't have been, could he?_

"Are you really happy? I mean, aside from being sick right now and everything. Are you happy with us? _With me?_" He sounded almost scared to ask.

"I've never been more happy than when I'm with you. And yes, before you say anything, I know that's ridiculous because we barely know each other, but I can't explain it. I, wasn't expecting to feel the way I do and it's a little… terrifying, and exciting, and incredible." I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in the crook of his neck, kissing the skin against my mouth repeatedly. "You're so much more than I even imagined and now you're mine. All _mine_. And I can't believe it."

"Oh Alec." He kissed the top of my head and hugged me tightly. His grip was incredibly strong for someone so slender. It was the kind of embrace that makes you feel like there's nothing in the whole world that can hurt you while you're in it and no matter what you're safe and loved and the person holding you will never let you fall.

_Loved. _

That was what I was feeling; what was making me so overwhelmed that I could barely contain my tears of pure bliss. I felt loved by a man that I had barely known for a month and who had only been my boyfriend for less than a week. And I felt love _for him. _I wanted to tell him. I wanted to say it a millions times over. I wanted my body to scream it with every kiss, every touch, every breath.

But I couldn't.

It was too soon. We weren't ready for that yet. _He _wasn't ready; he couldn't be. He would say it when he was, and I would wait until I knew it was safe, knew it would be said back. I could be happy with just this feeling for now. Just knowing that I love him and he cares about me would be enough until more time had passed.

We fell asleep like that; held tightly in a warm embrace. Magnus fell asleep a long time before I did (being that I had slept most of the day, I wasn't initially that tired. Just enjoying the cuddling), his soft snores becoming a rhythmic lullaby, finally sending me off to sleep sometime after sunrise.

* * *

Magnus's phone alarm went off what seemed like no time later. I felt him wake in my arms, the snores subsiding to groggy moans as his brain tried to figure out where the music was coming from and why. My body immediately missed his when he rolled over and leaned out of the bed, reaching for his jeans and digging the phone out of the right pocket. "Shut up you." He told it, pushing random buttons until it stopped.

He rolled back over to face me and smiled groggily. His normally perfect hair was sticking up randomly and his eyelids were droopy and a little smudged with leftover eyeliner from last night that he hadn't had a chance to wash off. He looked radiant in the sunlight that slipped through my blinds.

"Good morning." I said, stifling a yawn. The scratchiness of my throat was gone, though it was still pretty sore, and my nose was now stuffy. Seems like every time I went to sleep I woke up with a new symptom, but at least the fever was gone.

"Mmm, good morning sunshine." He snuggled up to me again and I was tempted to let us fall back asleep, but then I remembered why his alarm had gone off in the first place.

"Mags you have to get up now; you have class." I whispered in his ear. He pulled me closer in reply.

"I'm not going. You need me to stay with you."

"I can spare you for a few hours and I'm certainly not letting you miss any more classes for me. Come on, it's time to get up." I forced myself to push him away.

He didn't look very happy about it.

"Fine, fine." He rolled out of bed and took his duffle bag into the bathroom.

I fell back asleep waiting for him, but woke up before he could quietly sneak out.

"You weren't gonna say goodbye?" I asked, pouting. He turned and smiled at me, coming over to the bed.

"You looked so angelic I didn't want to disturb you." He kiss my forehead then each of my cheeks. "Do you want me to bring you anything?"

I shook my head, then was overcome by the urge to sneeze. I quickly turned away from Magnus before it happened and then grabbed a tissue from my nightstand. The box felt like it was getting empty, which didn't bode well for me and this runny nose I woke up with.

"Will you bring me some tissues?"

"Of course. I'll be back around twelve thirty, text me if you think of anything else you want." He kissed my head again and left.

My bed immediately felt too big and empty without him there.

* * *

About an hour or so later I was still lying in bed, resting my body while I guiltily read a book that had nothing to do with my schooling. I was pulled out of my world of post-apocalyptic warfare and survival by the sound of an ominous, depressing ringtone.

I followed the sound to Magnus's pants that he'd left lying on the floor by my bed. I picked up the phone he'd accidently left behind and almost dropped it when I saw the image on the screen.

It was of a petite girl with bouncy looking blonde hair and even bouncier looking breasts, which were practically falling out of her shirt. They probably would have, in fact, if Magnus's hands hadn't been holding them in place. They were locked in a sloppy kiss that made my heart wrench.

I made myself calm down and think rationally, even though my insecurities were trying their best to drown me.

This was clearly an old photo. Magnus had long, blue hair; an obvious indicator that it was taken before I met him.

My brain distracted itself for a moment by imagining running my fingers through Magnus's long hair and how it would feel brushing across my skin.

The phone rang again though, pulling me out of my daydream and I was suddenly curious as to why he would still have that picture set for her if it had been taken a while ago.

The name read **Camille, **which I remembered was his boss' name, but he certainly hadn't ever spoken about her with anything other than hate and contempt, so it couldn't have been the same person.

I sat the phone, which had finally stopped ringing, down on my nightstand and tried to go back to my book, but my brain wouldn't focus anymore so I gave up and took a shower instead.


	29. How to Answer

**Ok so I know I jst made a post on Tumblr about not posting anymore of this right now, but I was looking over my outline and it's very likely that I will fall too far behind to have the Halloween one up on Halloween, which makes me very sad. That sadness prompted me to go ahead and get this one posted and out of the way so that I can at least get it off my mind. I have three written (mostly) that go after this, but I felt like a Heronstairs should go next to see what those boys got up to while Magnus and Alec were playing doctor. So, I'll try to see what happens with that. **

**I also have midterms going on right now and a bunch of papers due on the 22 so my weekends are more booked than usual. Still, I will try for you guys because you are awesome and also because I really want to have the Halloween one done and out on Halloween. We'll see how that goes. Anyway... Here is your fluff. **

* * *

**October 16 Chapter 29 Magnus's POV: How to Answer **

* * *

I knocked loudly on Alec's door around two thirty, hoping that he remembered he would need to let me in and hadn't gone back into a cold medicine induced deep slumber.

Surprisingly the door opened rather quickly.

He was looking a lot better today. A little bit of the color had come back into his cheeks, though he was still very pale and his nose was pink from, I assumed, tissue abuse.

He sniffled and moved aside so I could come in.

"I come baring gifts." I smiled, holding up the box of _Puffs Plus with Lotion_. He looked like he was about to jump for joy.

"Have I told you how incredibly, amazingly, wonderful you are?" He said when he noticed the 'with lotion' part of the package.

"Not today." I closed and locked the door behind me before taking my shoes off and walking over to the couch to sit next to him.

"I would kiss you if I didn't think I'd die of suffocation." He said fondly.

I laughed and hugged him.

"Oh, duìle, your phone is on my nightstand; you left it under your pants this morning."

"Yeah, I noticed when I went to text you in class earlier. And what did you say? Duola?"

A light pink flush made his features come to life a bit more.

"Sorry, it's Chinese. Jem uses it interchangeably and some of it has rubbed off on me over the years I guess. I don't even notice I'm doing it."

"Don't apologize, I think it's cute when you speak in tongues." I started to laugh but stopped when I realized he wasn't. He was looking towards his bedroom door.

"That reminds me, someone names Camille called for you this morning. A bunch of times." I couldn't imagine why what I had said would lead him to that memory, but maybe his ill mind was making jumps that my well one wasn't.

"That's my boss. I should probably go see what she want. I'll be right back baby." I kissed him on the cheek and went to his bedroom to call her back.

That's when I found out exactly why his mind had made the jump from "tongues" to Camille. Apparently she'd done more than look through all of my text messages from Alec when she'd stolen my phone. How long ago had that been? Over a week. I couldn't believe she still had that horrible picture. More than that, I couldn't believe she had gone through all of that effort for something that hadn't paid off instantly.

I debated not calling her back at all, but I wanted to yell at her for putting that fucking picture on my phone. Normally I wouldn't have cared that much, but Alec was already insecure about my faithfulness and I really didn't need that picture popping up while I wasn't here to explain it and while he had hours to let it fester in his paranoid brain.

I closed his door, in case I started yell, and dialed.

"Magnus, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all morning!" Camille answered in lieu of hello.

"I was in class. What do you need?" I kept my voice emotionless, though I wanted to yell at her.

"I was calling to see if you wanted to come in tonight; we're starting to pick up already and we could use the extra help."

I _almost_ felt bad saying no, but only because Tessa would be swamped without me there to help. But there were other part time employees to ask. Sure, they were new and couldn't sell worth a shit, but that was not my problem.

"No. I don't. I have prior engagements, but thanks for the offer."

"Come ooooonnnn. Whatever you're doing can't be more important than helping out an old friend could it?" She whined.

"Old friend? You mean the bitch who steals my phone, goes through all of my private text messages, and then changes her picture to an old one of the two of us in a compromising position that she _had _to have sent because I know I certainly don't have any pictures like that saved anymore? You mean that friend? Because I don't consider that friendship." I could hear her cackling through the phone.

"You _just_ figured that out? I had completely forgotten I even did that." She had to take a break from talking to laugh more. "What are you getting your panties all in a twist about anyway? It's just an old picture. I thought it'd be funny. Especially if your new boytoy saw it." She stopped talking abruptly as the lightbulb went off in her tiny brain. "Oooohhh is that why you're so pissy? Did someone see our beautiful selfie and get offended? Or was it your hands all over my scrumptious breasts that he was offended by?" She had one of those voices that makes you want to hit something; namely her face.

I hung up before I said something that would cost me my job. She could kiss me coming in tonight goodbye though. Even if I hadn't already decided to stay home and take care of Alec, her attitude guaranteed I wouldn't be lifting a finger to make her life easier for a while.

I deleted the photo and searched to make sure there weren't any more surprises waiting for me. So far as I could tell there weren't.

Alec was sitting in the same position as when I left him, but the television was on now and he was mindlessly flipping through the channels.

"Everything ok?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the screen.

"Yeah, she was seeing if I wanted to pick up some more hours tonight, but I told her I had more important plans for my evening." I scooted close to him, trying to gauge whether he was upset about the photo or not. Surely he had to know that it was from a long time ago. Didn't he?

"You can go if you want, I don't want to interfere with your job. I'm probably just going to be laying around all day reading and blowing my nose." His tone was still fairly even, making it difficult for me to tell whether he was trying to kick me out or if he was just struggling with having someone take care of him. He seemed to have a hard time accepting that sometimes.

I grabbed the remote out of his hands and clicked the tv off before hiding it behind my back.

"Do you want me to go?" I was sitting facing him, cross-legged, waiting for a response and hopefully some eye contact.

He slowly turned and shook his head.

"Not really... but I can take care of myself if you have other things you'd rather be doing. It's ok, I don't mind, really." He was trying a little too hard to assure me that he didn't care. It was cute.

I smiled, now that I was sure I was wanted.

"There's nothing I'd rather be doing than spending time with you."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile while he fidgeted with the edges of the sweat jacket he was wearing in substitute for a robe.

Really, he seemed to have no concept that there was a difference between indoor and outdoor clothing.

The silence became awkward and stretched on until I couldn't handle it anymore.

"You saw that picture didn't you? I'm sorry. It was taking a while ago, and it wasn't even on my phone originally; she stole the other day at work and looked through a bunch of my stuff. I didn't even know she had changed it until just then..."

I trailed off because he was staring at me like I was talking gibberish. I guess I was rambling a little bit... but after what happened Monday, I really didn't need him going off the handle because of fucking Camille and her "joke".

"Why are you apologizing if you didn't even know it was there?" He looked utterly confused at my behavior. _Who wasn't? Magnus Bane is no groveler_.

_At least, I didn't used to be. _

"I don't want you to be upset." I explained, trying not to sound quite as pathetic as I had previously.

"I'm not upset about the picture. I mean, it's not my _favorite _thing to see first thing in the morning, but it obviously wasn't recent."

_Ok, that response was unexpected_.

"Alright well is there something else on your mind or did you take some medicine that made you spacey this afternoon?" Maybe I'd overestimated his tendency to freak out.

He got up to go blow his nose before answering my question. He looked nervous when he sat back down; not the best omen.

"Where do you want this relationship to go?" He asked my knees. "I mean, we didn't really discuss what exactly I was asking for when I asked you to be my boyfriend, or what you were agreeing to. I just," He ran a long fingered hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't just want to be another set of deleted photographs to you, Magnus. I don't want to put all of this effort into letting myself trust somebody again just to have them walk away. And I know I should have brought this up before, but I didn't really have time to think about it; everything was going so fast. When I saw that picture it just reminded me that I still barely know anything about you and I'm willingly handing myself over to you without any idea of your expectations or, or, anything!" He had gradually spoken louder and faster and threw his arms up when his monologue came to a crescendo before closing his eyes and laying his head back on the sofa. He looked tired; he was still sick after all.

I took a moment to think before responding. I hadn't been expecting this sort of talk right now, but I'd known it was coming. If not from him, then from me. We needed to know where each other stood.

"Alexander, look at me." I commanded, lifting his chin with my finger until he was looking me in the eyes. "You and I are far beyond the point of you being just another photo to delete. I don't have any expectations for this relationship; only hopes." He looked a little confused at my start.

_Here goes nothing. _

"You have to understand that I'm new to this whole committed, long term relationship thing and as much as I want it to happen I can't make any promises. All I can tell you is that I care about you more than I have ever cared about anyone else and I want to be with you for as long as you will have me. I can't promise you that there won't be some day in the future that you regret asking me to be your boyfriend, but I hope that you won't. And I certainly can't promise there won't be days that you angry with me, or hate me, or don't want to be around me, or the other way around; in fact, I'm fairly certain those sorts of days come with the territory, but I can promise that I'm not just going to walk away. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this since we met and especially since Monday and if there's anyone I can see myself having a future with, it's you."

His big blue eyes just stared at me with an unreadable expression until I couldn't handle it anymore. I'd just practically thrown myself at the man's feet and he was just sitting there in silence.

I was about to take him by the shoulders and shake a response out of him when he finally spoke.

"Do you mean that? All of it?"

I wanted to roll my eyes and throw my hands up in exasperation, but I restrained myself.

"Every last word." I said, as calmly as I could.

He leaned forward and put his arms around my neck, whispering in my ear, "I will never regret this," before pulling away. I could feel that his fever was starting to come back from the heat of his cheek against mine.

"Well now that that's all sorted out, you should let me make you something to eat then get back in bed. I want you well soon."

He smiled again and, now that all the questions were answered and tension was gone, let me get up to make him some soup and a grilled cheese.

The rest of our evening consisted of snuggling in bed watching old movies interspersed with cartoons and ignoring the pile of school work that each of us had to do. Exactly how a sick day should be.


	30. How to Study

**Eek! This fic has finally caught up to me in days and that makes me sad, but it could not be helped. I have been dying to get this posted the last few days but I have midterms and I had to essentially read/skim over 700 pages of Chinese history and memorize it so, yeah. Busy busy. And then to top it off I got sick yesterday. But my test was taken today and I can breath for a little while (really only tonight, as my fall break will consist of mucho paper writing). So here you go, so more insight into the Heronstairs relationship dynamic. I hope you like.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Cassandra Clare's, Selena Gomez's or Oscar Wilde's works/characters.**

* * *

**October 15 Chapter 30: How to study.**

* * *

**Jem POV:**

Against my better judgment I invited Will over after lunch on Thursday. He'd gotten sent home early from work so had been free to meet me for lunch when I got out of class.

I _should_ have told him goodbye after lunch and gone to the library to study for my upcoming midterm, but _by the heavens_ did he look amazing today. His dark was disheveled from a long shift and his dark blue eyes shone brightly, despite the signs of sleeplessness in them. The tee shirt and khakis he was wearing hugged his body in the most flattering of ways that made it difficult to concentrate on my meal, let alone remember that I should tell him goodbye instead of asking him to come home with me.

I blame my lack of self-control on that cologne. It should be illegal to sell something that smells that good to someone who looks like him.

My thoughts unclouded enough once I was away from him on the drive home to recall that I _really_ needed to study. I tried to keep that thought in my mind as we got out of our cars and started walking up the steps.

"I really should be working on reviewing for my midterm today." I told him as we got to my door.

"Anything I can help with?" He asked, walking into the apartment with me.

"Just a bunch of anatomy review; a lot of flash cards."

"Great. I love going over anatomy with you." He'd come up behind me as he spoke and wrapped his arms around my waist.

This was exactly why studying with Will had yet to yield any positive results. Well, let me rephrase that: this was exactly why studying with Will had yet to yield any positive _academic _results. There were plenty of positive things that happened when Will distracted me from talking about nerves and their various (dense) locations or examples of vasodilation...

"I _actually_ need to study this time Will. I have a test tomorrow afternoon and I keep blanking on the names of practically half of the bones I'm supposed to know."

"How many are you supposed to know?"

"All of them."

"Well then, we'd better get to work!" Will grabbed my hand and pulled me to my bedroom. I rolled my eyes, cursing my lack of willpower.

I dropped my backpack to the floor next to my bed and rummaged around for my notes.

"You're so tense." Will commented, rubbing my shoulders once I sat down on the side of the bed.

"Yeah, these midterms are killing me." I wanted to close my eyes and melt into his massage but I couldn't. I had to resist. "Stop it, you're too distracting."

He laughed, but removed his hands.

"Lay back." He commanded.

"William, really you're going to have to leave if-"

"We're going to study, I promise. There's just no reason for you to give yourself a stroke stressing out over this stuff. You'll do fine."

"I need to do better than fine."

Will sighed and I felt a little guilty for snapping so I did what I was told. He stood up and removed my shoes and socks and was reaching for my belt.

"If this is how you study I'm confounded as to how you graduated. Unless your study partners were your teachers."

Will laughed again and left my pants alone, sitting himself down at the bottom of the bed near my feet.

"Now, what are these bones called?" He asked, taking one foot in his hand and massaging my toes.

"Phalanges, proximal, middle, and distal. Those are the metatarsals." He smiled and moved his hands down to my mid foot.

"Next?" His fingers worked in a pattern that outlined the bones he was asking about.

"There are three cuneiform bones, the lateral, intermediate and medial right there, and that's where the cuboid bone is, and the navicular is that one."

He switched feet for the next ones. I could get used to his unconventional study methods...

"That should be the...talus?" I asked as he massaged my ankle. He nodded yes. "I can't remember the other one."

"It's the largest bone in the foot, if that helps at all."

I tried to remember the diagrams, searching my head for a buried memory of the name.

"What letter does it start with?"

"C."

"Calcaneus?" I was pretty sure that was it. He nodded and stopped rubbing my feet.

_I should have drawn that out more_. I thought regretfully.

His thumb massaged the outside of my ankle.

"Next."

"Lateral malleolus." He moved to the inside of my ankle. "Medial malleolus."

He took his time moving up my legs, letting me enjoy the massage while I answered his questions. When he got to the knee and lower Femur I answered as fast as I could because what he was doing was tickling too much to stand. I was surprised that I actually got them all correct under such duress considering I could barely remember them under normal circumstances.

The consequence was that now he was moving to my upper thigh and would soon be at my hip. I wasn't sure I could think about anything other than what his hands were doing when they got there.

Luckily, or unluckily I wasn't sure, my pocket buzzed right as his hand was moving towards it.

"Well that's different." He joked.

"It's my phone you idiot."

I pulled my phone out, thankful for the distraction. It was Alec.

"You're very snappy today. I don't think I like you when you're stressed."

"That's ok, I don't like you when I'm stressed either." His hands moved back to the ticklish areas of my legs in revenge for that comment.

"Stop it I have to get up, get off of me you child!" I wrestled him off of me and went to go check our medicine cabinet for some medicine for Alec.

"Where are you going?" Will asked following me.

"Alec needs some medicine, he's sick."

"I didn't even know he was here."

"Neither did I. He's usually in class right now, but he stayed home." I honestly hadn't even noticed that he was here. His door was shut, but he left it closed sometimes if he was sure Church wasn't hiding somewhere.

"What's he got?"

I texted Alec to ask his symptoms and he replied quickly. I laughed at his request to crank the heat up to sauna levels and told Will about his fever and sore throat. He reached passed me and picked out a box of medicine.

"Hey, do you think he'd mind if I took this to him?"

"Probably. Why?" I asked suspiciously. He still hadn't made nice with Alec and I didn't want Will upsetting him while he was sick. That wasn't fair.

"If he's feverish he's probably contagious, and I have a stronger immune system than most people. I just figured with midterms and everything you probably shouldn't expose yourself." What he really wanted to say was because of my illness and practically nonexistent immune system he didn't want me to get near Alec. I appreciated the concern, but it was annoying all the same. I don't like being treated like a child.

"I'll ask him." I relented. He didn't look like he was going to let me say no anyway. I texted Alec while I went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water and was surprised when he said yes.

I really shouldn't have been; Alec is as, if not more, paranoid about my health than Will is.

I handed Will the glass.

"You win. Be nice."

"I'm always nice." He said, kissing me on the cheek before knocking on Alec's door and letting himself in.

* * *

**Will's POV:**

After checking on Alec and taking advantage of his predicament to strike up a peace deal, I washed my hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap and headed back to Jem's room.

"Now, where were we?" I asked, climbing into bed with him. Jem was lying on his stomach, reading through his textbook with three different colored highlighters in his hands.

"How's Alec?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"No, no before that." He glared at my attempt to change the subject, making me sigh. "He'll be ok. It's probably a bad cold, _maybe_ the flu, but it'll take a day or two to see how the symptoms unfold. You should still avoid him as much as possible until he's better."

"We live in the same house, so that may be a difficult request to follow."

"Try. Please?" Despite only having known him for a month or two, I was well aware of how much Jem hated to feel like people were treating him differently because of his illness. Still, I didn't want him taking unnecessary risks.

"Fine. Here," he handed me a stack of flash cards, "back to work."

"What was wrong with my method?" I pouted, setting the cards down on the nightstand.

"It's gotten far too distracting."

_Well that _was_ the point..._

"Alright then, we'll start at the top." I closed his book and dropped it to the ground behind me, much to his chagrin, and pulled him into a sitting position in front of me, facing the other way so that I could massage his head, ears and neck.

He gave in to my methods almost instantly.

* * *

A little over an hour later our study session had reached the lower abdominal level again and this time we were both having a much harder time keeping on track.

And just like before we were interrupted. This time because of _my_ phone ringing. Jem laughed at the ridiculous ringtone I had for Magnus; _Come & Get It _by Selena Gomez. It was an inside joke because when it came out it was on EVERY time I turned on the radio and one of us would inevitably start humming and get it stuck in the other one's head. A vicious cycle that kept up for weeks. He'd downloaded it one day on my phone when I wasn't paying attention and I just kept it for him as a joke.

I made a mental note to explain this to Jem as soon as I hung up, as it probably seemed like a weird ringtone to have.

I answered his call and Jem rescued his textbook from the floor.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, Trying and failing to take to book away from Jem.

"_Are you still at Alec's?"_

_"_Yeah, why, did you need me to come home?"

"_No, I was just making sure someone would be there to answer the door. I don't want Alec to have to get up." _

"Heaven forbid!" I said in an obviously mocking tone.

"_Will he's sick._"

"I know. I've seen him." Everyone was so very concerned about a little cold today. Really, it wasn't as if he had TB or something.

_"You did? Good. How is he?_"

"He sick." I'm fairly certain Magnus growled at me.

"_William stop being difficult and come let me in." _

I got up and headed for the door, hanging up my phone.

"Are you leaving?" Jem asked, confused.

"Of course not. I wouldn't just get up and walk out. Alec has a visitor that I have to go let in."

"Aww that's sweet." He said kindly.

I just rolled my eyes.

* * *

"Took you long enough." Magnus complained when I opened the door.

"It's not like he's going anywhere."

Magnus didn't grace me with a reply, instead he hung his jacket up and slipped his shoes off.

"So once more without the sarcasm, how is Alec?"

_"_Sore throat and fever, probably just a bad cold, but it might end up being worse. And He's probably contagious so I wouldn't go kissing him if I were you."

_"_I don't molest sick people Will, that's just you." I _probably_ deserved that.

"Oh ha ha you're so funny." I said, making sure that my tone conveyed that it was anything but.

"I know." He ignored it and went off to Alec's room before I could bicker anymore and I went back to Jem.

He was back in his reading position, lying on his stomach with the large textbook in front of him and highlighters at the ready.

"Come on, let's take a break."

"Will, all we've done today is take breaks."

"That's not true. Besides, you obviously know this stuff. You're just over studying. You can afford to give your boyfriend some attention." I knew I was being whiny but I was bored and we'd been interrupted right when things were starting to get interesting twice now.

He rolled over and glared at me. I retorted with puppy dog eyes.

"It's a problem that I have no willpower against you..." He said, shaking his head while he closed the book again and set it down carefully on the floor. "Twenty minutes maximum. If I get a B because of your neediness we're breaking up." He sounded serious, but I was _almost_ certain he was joking.

"Deal." I didn't want to waste my twenty minutes arguing about his misconception that a B was a bad grade.

I leaned down and began kissing his soft lips. Jem's arms encircled my neck, pulling me closer and deepening our kiss. He seemed to be matching my enthusiasm at first, but after a couple of minutes I could tell his mind was wandering off, probably back to his blasted flash cards.

After the third time of this happening I pulled away.

"You know, the time you spend thinking about other things doesn't count against my twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry, I'm just not going to be able to concentrate until I get this done. Can you just give me a solid hour of studying and then I promise I'll take a real break?"

His pleading eyes shone up at me like moons; there was no way I could say no to that.

"Fine. Go back to your precious book. I'm going to go get a cup of tea, would you like one?" I asked, getting up.

"That would be lovely, thank you."

I took my time making the tea, hoping the hour would fly by. Sadly, the minutes seemed to be refusing to move at their proper speed let alone faster.

Magnus came into the kitchen at one point to grab a glass of chocolate milk, but wouldn't stay to chat.

I took Jem his tea and began rereading _The Portrait of Dorian Grey _on my phone since there wasn't much else to do.

Just when is gotten fully immersed in my reading, being able to visualize the facial expressions if the characters and the smell of the garden, Magnus knocked on the door.

_Am I not to be allowed to indulge in _any_ form of pleasure today without interruption!?_

I refrained from throwing my phone across the room and got up to answer it.

"What?" I asked a bit more briskly than intended.

"Sorry, was I interrupting something?" He didn't actually look sorry.

"Sadly just some Oscar Wilde; what do you want?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"You are..." I replied flatly.

He heaved a sigh and pulled on my arm, dragging me out of Jem's room and into the den.

"I'm going to be staying here this weekend to take care of Alec and he was concerned that Jem shouldn't be around the apartment because of his weak immune system or whatever, so I figured you might want to invite him to stay at our place for a few days." He looked as if the suggestions was physically painful to say. Still not trusting Jem, but wanting to do right by his boyfriend. Not to mention the fact that they would have the apartment to themselves for a few days. I'm sure that didn't factor in to his suddenly concerned motives at all...

"Works for me. I'll see if Jem is up for it."

After promising on the bible, my life, Jem's life, and the shelf lives of my classics, that I would let him study and not bother him if he stayed over, Jem agreed. I helped him gather up some stuff for the weekend while Magnus did the same back home, then we left him to tend to his sick boyfriend.

* * *

"Would you rather study out here or in my room? I don't _think_ Jace will be stopping by, but if he does he'll probably just go straight to his room and pass out. I'm sure he wouldn't bother you, but I'm fine either way." I asked once we got back to my place.

"Out here is fine." Jem started arranging his textbook, notecards, and highlighters around on the coffee table.

"Ok, then I'm going to go take a shower and read some more, you know where the kitchen is if you want anything. Feel free to come see me whenever you want. Especially if it's while I'm still in the shower."

He rolled his eyes and have me a quick kiss before I retired to my room.

* * *

**Jem POV:**

Surprisingly, I had the next three hours free of interruption (aside from Chairman Meow wanting some food and love) and felt much more confident in my knowledge of the bones of the body afterwards.

I felt a bit guilty for ignoring Will so much, but he knew I needed to get this done, and midterms were right around the corner.

I gathered my books and things and went to find my boyfriend in his bedroom. He was lying in bed with a book resting on his chest. His beautiful blue eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open, he was faintly snoring.

I wasn't sure whether I should wake him up or not. It was only nine and he hadn't had dinner yet, but he looked so peaceful. And incredibly adorable.

I removed the book from his chest, causing him to stir. His hand reached for me as I took weathered text to set it on the night table.

"Hey I was reading that." He mumbled, squinting his eyes against the light.

"I'm sure you were at some point." Smiling, I sat down next to him on the bed. "I'm all finished with my studying. Thank you for the peace and quiet."

Yawning, Will pushed himself into a straighter sitting position.

"No problem. How long have you been out there?"

"About three hours. How long have you been asleep?"

"Eh," He picked up the book and looked at the page number it had been left open on. "Probably since about ten minutes after my shower; I had a really early shift this morning."

"I'll let you go back to sleep if you want, I can find more things to study."

He laughed.

"I don't doubt that, but no. I'm up now, and I'm hungry. I should get dinner started."

Another few yawns and a stretch later we were standing in the kitchen working on dinner. In reality, I was standing by the counter asking to help while Will was really doing all of the work.

_First a roommate who can cook and now a boyfriend blessed with culinary skill as well? I am quite possibly the luckiest man on Earth. _

* * *

A couple of hours later we were both tired enough to call it a night.

As I put my toothbrush in its temporary home next to Will's it suddenly occurred to me how incredibly domestic this day was starting to feel. Cooking dinner together, doing the dishes, brushing our teeth next to one another... It highlighted how fast things had moved in the last couple of weeks. Granted, it wasn't as if this was a permanent arrangement; we would just be playing house for the weekend, but it would be strange to have the feeling of coming home from class to him, or him coming home from the hospital to me.

I couldn't decide if I liked this direction of events or not. It was a lovely fantasy, but it was just that: a fantasy. At the most we would have a few years of such behaviors, which was why I had spent so much time avoiding anything resembling a relationship. Perhaps it was a good thing though. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce nowadays and long term relationships aren't as common as they used to be. Perhaps we won't even like each other anymore by that point. Or perhaps our limited time will mean that we don't get the chance to go through the painful process of falling out of love with one another.

That is, if we end up falling _in_ love with one another at all.

My thoughts were getting far too ahead of me for my liking so I tried to keep myself focused on the task at hand: getting dressed for bed. Even that led me back to my previous line of thought though, being that we were both undressing and putting on night pants as if we were an old married couple following a nightly routine. We've only spent the entire night together a couple of times and we most certainly weren't wearing pajamas.

The ease at which we fell into routine was mildly frightening and I felt the desperate urge to stop it before I got too comfortable.

I walked over to Will's side of the bed in just my boxers. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, but didn't stop dressing.

At least he didn't bother with a shirt.

I kept my eyes on his as I slid into the bed, on his side.

"You're on my side of the bed sir." He told me plainly.

"I don't remember agreeing to sides." I furrowed my eyebrows as if trying to remember a conversation we never had.

"We didn't. I make all decisions regarding what happens in this bed, seeing as it is mine."

"Oh is that so?" I enjoyed the challenging look in his eyes.

"That is so. And I say, you lay over there." He pointed to the opposite side of the bed.

"Make me." I challenged.

He climbed into bed next to me, attempting to push me over to the other side. I firmly resisted, doing my best to bring our bodies into contact as much as possible.

"You know, if you're going to be this difficult every time we get ready for sleep, I may have to restrict your bed privileges." He told me, hands pressed firmly on my chest trying to push me away while my arms wrapped around his neck, trying to pull us closer.

I abruptly stopped resisting and let myself be pushed across the bed, sitting up once I reached the edge of the mattress.

"If that's what you wish." I sighed, trying to sound as put out as possible while standing up. I succeeded in making it exactly one foot away from the bed before Will's strong arms wrapped around my hips and pulled me back.

"Now, now, I didn't say that's what I _wanted_." He said huskily into my ear. He was on his knees behind me and I was sitting, my back pressed firmly against his chest.

"Well what is it exactly that you want, William?" I tried to control my shudders as his hands ghosted across my naked torso. I could feel his hip bones pressing against my mid back and the thin layers of cotton between us were doing nothing to disguise his growing arousal.

"_I want..._" He whispered against the nape of my neck. The hot breath and his tone gave me goose bumps.

He released me momentarily, just long enough to pull me down to the mattress so that I was on my back while he hovered over me, arms on either side of my head.

"You to sleep over here and stop trying to manipulate me. You're not very good at it."

I almost laughed out loud at his figuring me out, but I didn't want to ruin the game.

"I don't know about that, everything seems to be going well so far..." I slid my hand down his chest, taking my time caressing the toned muscles there.

"I have half a mind to resist your wicked temptations and go to sleep right now. You weren't very inclined to letting me have my way with you earlier, why should I indulge you now?" If his body hadn't been so adamantly objecting to his words I might have believed him. I knew I was winning though.

"Because, if you stop now you'll be punishing both of us. I'm sure there are other ways," I moved my leg so that my thigh was applying welcomed pressure to his lower anatomy and continued, "that you could go about punishing me..."

That request was a long shot, I knew. Being with Will was never rough, at least not for me. He was careful and patient, never biting or grabbing too hard. And it wasn't as if I was complaining, I liked the sensuality of what we did, it would just also be nice for him to lose control at some point; to not treat me as if I were going to break if he wasn't careful. The roughest thing he's done was pin me down and tickle me.

But then again, maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe that was just how he was as a lover and it had nothing to do with my condition. That was one of the difficult things about being in an actual relationship for me. One night stands are easy; if it's enjoyable then you let it turn into a causal occurrence until one or both of you gets bored. If it's bad you just never see the guy again. In a relationship you have to talk about that sort of thing and people's feelings get hurt. How was I supposed to ask him to do something else without making it sound like I didn't like what he did already? Because I _definitely _did. I had no idea, so I kept my mouth shut.

Metaphorically.

Will's carnal desires quickly overrode his need for revenge; a few more carefully arranged movements of my appendages and he forgot all about my, obviously forgivable, sin of denying him so that I could study.


	31. How to Deal With Problems

**I am so excited that I finished with that Chinese history exam that I am uploading ANOTHER chapter tonight! I'm so happy to be able to write again. Sadly, I will not be able to again after tomorrow probably for a while, but oh well. Enjoy the inspired evening! **

**Just a warning: there's a lot of cussing and general ridiculousness in this chapter. I wrote the bulk of it a while ago and have been looking forward o posting it. Please let me know what you think. I know there's a lot of pettiness to follow, but I think it worked out well. Hopefully you guys do too. **

**(All of you Malec smut fans will REALLY enjoy the next chapter hehehe) **

* * *

**Chapter 31 October 19 Monday. How to Deal With Problems:**

* * *

**Alec's POV:**

I hadn't been thrilled when Jem had suggested we all have dinner once I was well, quite the opposite in fact, but I'd promised Will that I would try to get along for Jem's and Magnus's sakes, and I was going to keep my word. Even if he had made me swear during a moment of feverish weakness.

I still didn't like the idea of them dating. Hell, I could barely get over the fact that Magnus lived with him.

You'd think that knowing he was seeing someone would ease my mind a bit, but no. I felt protective of Jem, even though he didn't need (and in this case want) it. He was my closest friend, more like family really, and I didn't trust Will to treat him the way he deserved. He just wasn't good enough.

Jem had made reservations at a nice local steak joint; it was the kind of place that would be loud enough, even on a Monday night, for no one to notice if we all couldn't get along so well. Which was likely to be the case. Apparently, Magnus wasn't Jem's biggest fan either, which I thought was absurd. I'd asked him about it the first time he'd made a negative comment about my roommate over the weekend, but he told me I needed to ask Jem; which I then did. He told me the gist of what had lowered Magnus's opinion of him, and I agreed that it wasn't his _best _idea ever, but it'd worked out in the end and Will was obviously over it so I didn't see any reason why my boyfriend was so affected by it.

"Am I bothering to dress nicely for this dinner?" I asked Jem, walking into his bedroom in a pair of jeans without holes and no shirt on. I was holding a nice, dark blue polo option in one hand and a plain worn-out t-shirt option in the other.

Jem, who was also in a state of undress, but essentially with the opposite problem (found the right shirt, but couldn't seem to decide on pants), shrugged.

"I have no clue." He ran a hand through his hair and came over to inspect my shirt choices. "Definitely neither of these." He pulled a face, taking both garments out of my hands and heading towards my dresser. "Find me a pair of pants to wear, would you?" He asked, rummaging around in my shirt drawer.

I obliged. He was in a black shirt covered by a fitted gray sweater that dipped into a low U in the front. I searched his closet for something that matched and wasn't too formal. Naturally, my mind went straight to jeans. He had a lighter pair that should match fine. I grabbed them out of his closet right as I heard the bell ring.

_Shit, what time is it?_ I thought I had more time to get ready.

"Here," I tossed Jem the pair of jeans and he laughed at my selection, but kept them nonetheless.

"Give me one sec." He said apologetically. "You really need to buy some new clothes." He added, in his defense.

I checked my hair in the bathroom mirror (it would have to do), before heading to answer the door. Not like Magnus hadn't seen me without a shirt on before.

I possibly should have thought through the fact that when I opened the door and Will and Magnus stepped into our apartment they were greeted with the image of me shirtless and Jem walking out of _my _room with _my _shirt tossed over one shoulder, fastening a belt- which was also mine, but I doubted anyone but me noticed that.

The awkward silence and questioning glances that ensued were _not_ the best way to start an evening that was likely to already be headed for disaster.

Jem handed me a long-sleeved black shirt which I hastily adorned. It clung to my body nicely (I'm not entirely sure where he found it, as I'm positive I've never worn it before). He then proceeded to give Will a kiss on the cheek and ask if everyone was ready to go. Magnus looked like he wanted to say something, or rather, about a thousand something's, but luckily he didn't. I couldn't tell who he was feeling defensive over, me or Will, and it wasn't improving my mood.

We all drove together; Magnus and I in the back, Jem in the passenger seat with Will driving. It was obvious that Magnus wasn't too happy about Will's affectionate smiles towards Jem; and I wasn't too happy about that. Jem's frequent glances my way were clouded in frustration at my scowl and I'm pretty sure Will would have been looking the same way at Magnus had he not needed to keep his eyes on the road.

Luckily the restaurant was nearby and we didn't have to suffer through that car ride from hell for very long.

* * *

**Will's POV: **

The hostess led us to a round table near the back of the restaurant and I breathed a silent 'thank you' to the universe for her not choosing a booth. With the way Magnus and Alec were behaving there was no telling who would be sitting next to whom; it was likely to turn into a musical chairs bloodbath. Not that I was entirely excluded from childish inclinations tonight. Especially after seeing Jem walking out of Alec's bedroom like that. I'm 110% positive there is an innocent explanation (which he _will_ be telling me later), but it still didn't stop the urge to hit something- namely the blushing nineteen year old- from swelling up inside me. Jem's soft kiss had diminished the anger, but I was feeling possessive nonetheless. The fact that he so vehemently defended Alec's standoffish, immature attitude towards me didn't help matters either.

We took our seats: Jem to my right, Magnus to my left, and Alec across from me. We were all polite smiles for the waitress as she took our drink orders (all waters, as alcohol would had added far too much fuel to the tenuous flames), but as soon as she left the uncomfortable silence and staring was back in full swing.

I saw Magnus reach for Alec's hand under the table just about the same time Jem's fingers brushed mine above it. I smiled at him and intertwined them. I didn't need to look to know the disapproving glare we'd earned from Magnus, though I did find it interesting- and childish- that Alec's hand returned to his own lap. The gamut of emotions running across Magnus's face in that moment- annoyance, hurt, anger, remorse,- would have been almost comical had the situation not been as it were. Instead, I just felt sorry for him, and it made my previous indifference/annoyance of Alec turn much more towards outright dislike.

It must've shown in my features because Jem started looking uncomfortably between Alec and I, which only made the situation worse in my mind.

"This is getting absurd." He snapped, finally breaking the silence. "We're all behaving like children and I for one would like it to stop."

"Right because it's all about what Jem wants." Magnus retorted. Alec and I said his name in unison, reprimanding him for the comment, then glared at each other neither thinking it was the other one's place to speak.

"For heaven's sake, I've made amends with Will for my idiotic behavior- which, in all honesty is none of anyone else at this table's business- now what is it going to take for you to get over it? You're dating my best character reference, if you had any real reason to continue hating me he would know." Jem gestured to Alec and I felt that little pang of annoyance that liked the creep up on me whenever Jem referred to the closeness of their relationship. Ironically, I knew this was the _exact _same problem Alec had with me.

Unfortunately, that didn't make it any easier to cope with.

The waitress chose that moment to come back with our drinks and ask for our orders. We plastered on the fake smiles again and told her we might need a few minutes, returning to our previous scowls almost the moment she'd walked away.

Magnus looked like he could chew nails, but he hadn't replied. I wasn't sure that he even had a reply to that.

"He _is_ right," it was the first time I'd agreed with anything coming out of Alec's mouth. Not that it made me like him more.

Magnus looked ganged up on, and angry. At Alec, of all people. I wanted to be happy about it, but I could tell Magnus was hurting and that made me hurt as well. After all, his entire reason for distrusting Jem was out of love for me. He'd witness my tears (which are an extremely rare event) and wanted to make Jem pay, even if it was against my current wishes. I couldn't blame him for that. I would have acted the exact same way.

"Look, I completely understand why you're doing this, and I appreciate it and would usually encourage such fierce defense of loved ones, but I made the decision to give him a second chance and I really wish you would too." I spoke directly to Magnus, reaching out for his hand. He turned towards me (a motion that did not sit well at all with his needy boyfriend) and contemplated.

"You tend to jump headlong into things without thinking them through William, one of us has to treat this logically."

"I know, but it's not as if I'm asking you to watch me date a serial killer. I care about you both and it kills me that you can't be happy with me." Alec looked as if he was going to stab something when I said that, and I couldn't not address it any longer. "Can you please get a fucking hold on yourself? Yes, I care about him. Magnus and I have been best friends for nearly ten years, when you were what, in elementary school?-"

"Will." Magnus warned, but I continued anyway.

"We've been through shit together, we're close. Get. The. Fuck. Over. It. We're not now nor have we ever been sleeping together, and it's highly unlikely to ever happen in the future. About as likely as you sleeping with your sister, so next time you want to go grinding your teeth and flaring your nostrils when I hug your precious boyfriend, think about that." I slumped back in my chair, arms crossed. Everyone else at the table was speechless.

"I'm sorry Jem." Alec told him, before storming off.

How mature.

* * *

**Jem POV:**

"That was uncalled for." I turned to Will, my shocked brain still processing what had just happened.

"It was completely call for. He needed to hear it."

"Not like that." Magnus spoke up before I could. "You don't understand why what happened is such a big deal to him."

"Do _you_?" Alec had only ever mentioned his dad's betrayal once to me, and he'd been drunk. I'm not even sure if he remembers telling me. I had to say I was more than a little hurt that he would have shared such a private story with Magnus after such a short time.

"Yes. Mine and Alec's relationship is built on sharing and _trust_." He jibbed.

"_Trust?_ That's laughable." That was shitty of me, but he'd been rude to me all evening and I just couldn't handle it anymore. Especially not him throwing his, barely-week-old, relationship with Alec in my face.

"_Excuse me?!_" He practically barked.

"Magnus, calm down, we're in public. Everyone just needs to chill out. This was obviously a bad idea." Will intervened.

"Understatement of the century. I'm going to go find Alec, I'll call you later." I made to get up and leave when Magnus did the same.

"No, you stay here, I should go, he'll probably rather talk to me."

"Unlikely. You're part of the problem. I'll go, I know how to handle it." This was quickly escalating, along with the volume of our voices.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't handle my boyfriend, or anyone else I care about for that matter. Thanks."

"I'll go for Christ's sake! The two of you need to get all of this resolved and I'm not speaking to either of you again until you do. I'll go try to get Alec to come back and act like an adult."

"William!" Magnus and I both glared at Will.

"See, you're getting along better already." He started to walk away before one or both of us had a chance to hit him.

Once Will was gone there was silence while his friend and I both took out our phones to text Alec. Yes, maybe he had needed to hear all of those things, but not like that. Will had a way of speaking that was rather blunt and extremely cold when he wanted it to be. I hoped that he wouldn't make it worse if he did indeed catch up with Alec.

The waitress came back while we were still avoiding talking and we explained that the other half of our party had to step out. We ordered something to eat, trying to extend the amount of time we could go without talking. The waitress had other tables to attend to so didn't dwell too long. Sadly, that meant we were left alone again and would eventually need to start a conversation if we ever wanted to speak to Will again.

I had a feeling that he wasn't bluffing about that part.

* * *

**Magnus POV:**

I knew William well enough to know that he wouldn't be speaking to Jem or I until we became friends; or at the very least civil acquaintances. The problem though was that I was holding a grudge (that wasn't mine to hold) and wasn't entirely sure how to let it go. Especially after the things said throughout this evening.

I did hate the fact that Jem and I not getting along caused the two most important men in my life grief. And, aside from that week, Will seemed genuinely happy with Jem; so far.

We were both silent until our food came and then picked at our food for a good ten minutes before even looking at each other again.

I took a deep breath and decided to bite the bullet. The sooner we got this over with the sooner I could attempt to find Alec and see if he was ok. Will had said some very nasty, though truthful, things to him.

"Will is a really good guy." I told him, lamely.

"I know."

"And he's been through a lot of...loss, and disappointment. Granted, he always makes the best of his situation, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve better. He just got out of a bad relationship and I just don't want to watch him go through that again." I explained. Hoping to make him understand why I was so protective of Will without sharing too much personal information that he perhaps didn't want shared yet.

"He does deserve better, trust me I know. That's why I tried to get him to give up on me, because I don't want to be the cause of his pain, no matter how small. But, as I was so firmly told, it's not anybody's choice but Will's who he decides to take a chance on. And I simply do not have the strength to ignore how I feel about him. I know that it's selfish of me, but we make each other happy; what really matters aside from that?"

I couldn't argue with that.

"You have to understand, you're the first person he's even given a second thought to since his ex and I'm happy for that; watching him close himself off was heartbreaking. But then having to watch him go through the pain of rejection, for as lame of an excuse as his job, and then watching you toy with him... I don't want to see him shattered again."

"He didn't tell you the real reason I tried to get him to stop pursuing things?" He looked confused, and concerned.

"He said you didn't want him to lose his job or some bullshit like that."

Jem shook his head, burying his face in his hands for a moment before regaining his composure and responding.

"Well, I appreciate Will's sense of discretion, but he could have explained it better. I assume you know that I'm ill?"

"He mentioned that you were..." I searched my vocabulary for a nicer way to say it.

"Terminal."

I nodded, shifting my eyes.

"I didn't want to get into a relationship with him because I know that I can't give him the kind of relationship he deserves. I care about Will and I want him to be happy, the same as you. He's a stubborn man though, and despite my best efforts to convince him that his affections are best directed somewhere else, he refuses to be swayed. And honestly, as much as the knowledge of all of my shortcomings kills me, I can't lie to you and say that I'm not happy that he's given me a chance."

I was rendered speechless by his confession. I hadn't expected that at all. Will hadn't mentioned those things. I felt bad about second guessing him now. No wonder Will had given him a second chance; the sincerity in his words and eyes was deeply moving and hard to disbelieve.

"I didn't realize..." I said finally, not really knowing how to make up for my foolish behavior. "I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. We both want what's best for Will, I know you were just doing what you thought was right. I would do the same for Alec if I thought you had any ill intentions towards him."

With the hostile mood lifted we started to actually enjoy our food, and each other's company. He wasn't that bad to be around actually. A few minutes into a conversation on Will's irrational fear of ducks we both received texts from Alec.

* * *

**Will's POV:**

I pulled my jacket tight around me as I walked the freezing cold city sidewalk looking for Alec. Even the threat of frostbite was a better alternative than listening to Magnus and Jem bicker back and forth about who Alec would rather have come to his rescue. Honestly; you'd think the kid was some national treasure the way they went on about him.

I walked back in the direction of Jem's apartment, thinking it the most likely route for Alec's brooding walk. I jogged, more to warm myself up than in an attempt to catch up with him, but it worked for that too. Afterall, I had promised to find him and at the very least attempt to calm him down.

After a couple minutes of fast paced jogging I noticed the male in question a few blocks ahead of me, shoulders hunched, hands in pockets; brooding as I had predicted.

"Alec, wait up!" I called, slowing down as I closed the distance between us. I saw his shoulder stiffen, so I _know_ he heard me, but he just kept walking. "Alec!" I'd caught up to him now and I reached for his arm.

I was not prepared for the fist that swung at me, making hard contact with my jaw. I reeled back, clutching my face. It'd been a long time since I'd taken a punch like that, and my face certainly didn't miss it.

"Feel better now?" I asked sarcastically, spitting a little bit of blood onto the sidewalk. My teeth had sliced my right cheek and now my mouth tasted coppery.

I was less than pleased.

"A little actually." He swung again, but I was expecting it this time and easily dodged. If this had been an actual fight I would have taken that opportunity to push him into the alley beside us and beat the snot out of him, but I highly doubted I would have a boyfriend or a best friend afterwards if I let that happen.

Alec apparently was not on the same page as I, and was out for blood. He swung again and I dodged again, this time grabbing his wrist and twisting it up behind his back.

"You're embarrassing yourself kid. You got a good hit, now let it go." I told him calmly in his ear.

My generous actions earned me a head-butt (I'm pretty sure his skull is made of titanium), causing me to immediately let go of him and reach for my throbbing nose.

_I swear if you broke it you are going to pay._

In the few seconds it took for him to turn around I'd assessed that it wasn't broken, just bleeding. He lunged for me and I used him momentum to guide us into the alley way so as to avoid fighting on the sidewalk where the cops could easily see.

He was a lot stronger than I'd given him credit for, but I'd been doing this since high school and I highly doubted he had any real experience. A well landed fist and he would give up.

Or so the plan was supposed to go.

I'd shoved him up against the brick wall and punched him hard enough in the stomach to knock the wind out of him, but not hard enough to do any real damage. He doubled over in pain for about five seconds, then regained his composure and retaliated; hard.

It was a rare thing, for me to take a beating like this. I knew Jem was capable of it, but he would never physically hurt me for real. Sparring was nothing like what was happening now.

Alec wiped his bloody lip on the back of his sleeve and glared at me, breathing hard. I felt the blood drip from my nose, but made no attempt to wipe it away. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Do you think trying to beat me up in an alleyway is going to make me take back what I said? Because it's not. It's just proving to me that you really are as immature as I had originally assumed." I goaded.

"I really don't give a fuck what you assume about me. And I wouldn't call this trying; I may have a split lip but you're the one with the broken nose."

"It's not broken." I corrected.

"Yet." The force with which he crashed into me knocked us both to the filthy ground, him on top. My brain was screaming from being knocked into the concrete, but I still managed to keep him from making good on his threat and somehow got him underneath me.

Being physically matched, and possibly even bested, was fun with Jem. Mostly because the techniques we used on the mat we often later translated to the bedroom. With Alec however, it was just starting to piss me off.

I climbed off of him and pulled him up by the shirtfront, slamming him rather carelessly into the brick wall.

"You have no idea how pointless all of your jealousy is do you?" He struggled to get away, but I held firm; he may be fast, but I had him on upper body strength. "My best friend, _your boyfriend_, is a completely different person for you. Fuck, he's been celibate for nearly two months for you. I can almost guarantee you that he hasn't gone that long since he lost his virginity. He doesn't talk about anyone else, he doesn't even _look_ at anyone else." He'd stopped struggling and was listening to me with a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. "If you're so goddamn insecure because you don't think you deserve him, well newsflash! You don't. But for some unknown reason he is head over heels for you and if you don't get your head out of your ass and realize that soon you're just going to end up hurting him; and when you do, I'm going to hurt you. A lot worse that I have tonight. Do you understand me?"

He swallowed hard, then nodded. My grip on his shirt loosened enough to not be so uncomfortable, but not enough that I couldn't _make _it uncomfortable if he tried anything again.

"I know that I don't deserve him." He let his head rest against the wall, his eyes fixed on mine. "But I love him. He deserves so much better than me, but I'm selfish and I love him and I can't stand the thought of losing him." He confessed. I let go of his shirt, completely floored by his words. I'd been expecting more yelling or snide remarks, not a confession of love. He hadn't even told Magnus; I would've heard about it if he had.

I watched a tear roll down his face as he ran a hand through his extremely disheveled hair.

"He's more important to me than _anything_."

"Then stop letting your imagination villainize him for every little thing. I'm sorry for the way I phrase some things at the table, but what I said was true; Magnus is like a brother to me. I'm not trying to come between you. I have someone, or at least I did. I'm not sure if either of our boyfriends will make it out of that restaurant..." Alec laughed, then coughed and clutched his stomach. Maybe I should've been a _little _easier on him.

"I can't imagine either of them handling their problems the way we did. Worst case scenario they talk themselves to death."

He was right about that. Neither Jem nor Magnus were fans of physical confrontation, especially the latter.

"We should probably get back to your apartment so I can assess the damage and bandage us up." I turned to walk away but he grabbed ahold of my arm. I braced myself for impact as I turned back to face him, be he was finished with his attacks. Now his eyes were pleading.

"Don't tell him what I said."

"It's not my place to tell your boyfriend you love him. Your secret's safe with me." He looked relieved, and ready to walk back to his house now. "Don't wait too long to let him know though, ok? I know it doesn't seem possible, but he's insecure too." It was also not my place to tell Alec that either, but he seemed like he needed to hear it.

It was the truth after all.

He looked at me like he didn't believe it, but promised nonetheless.

I took out my phone, wondering if Jem and Magnus had made up yet. There were no missed calls or texts so I assumed that was a no. _Dammit. _

Alec texted them both that we were on our way back to his house and would not be returning to the restaurant. Leaving out the details of our exchange.

Both men replied immediately with essentially the same questions: **Are you ok? Are you and Will ok? Are we ok?**

Alec showed me before replying **yes **to all three.

* * *

**Alec POV:**

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Will asked me. I was sitting on the edge of my bathtub while he got things out of our medicine cabinet. I cringed when I saw the rubbing alcohol.

_That's going to burn. _

"I was an awkward, loner, closeted gay kid in high school with a hot little sister. I'm pretty sure I had to fight somebody every day I went." He laughed and took a seat on the close lidded toilet.

"That's essentially where I learned too. Except, most of my fights were defending Magnus, not a hot younger sister. Not that my sister wasn't attractive, she was just at an all-girls school so I didn't have a chance to help her out."

I didn't know Magnus had been bullied in high school. I mean, if he'd dressed and acted then like he did now then it made sense, it was just hard to imagine, what with the confidence he exuded now.

"That was nice of you, to stick up for him."

"I've always felt responsible for my siblings; Magnus is no different. Tilt your head back, this is going to sting." He took a washcloth and soaked it in alcohol before dabbing away at the blood on my face. It hurt like a bitch, but I did my best not to flinch.

Will had washed his face at the sink and his nose had stopped bleeding during our walk. We were both going to have shiners in the morning and probably splitting headaches. My split lip was swelling, and I thought ruefully of the fact that it meant there would be no kissing Magnus tonight. And possibly for a few days. My abdominal muscles would be sore for at least a few days, as would both of our knuckles.

This would be the last time I solved a problem with violence. I was no slower at healing than I'd ever been before, but now I actually had uses for my hands and lips that I didn't particularly want to take an involuntary hiatus from.

Will got me patched up before they got back. We cleaned up all of the bloody bandages and I changed shirts as I'd wiped a fair amount of blood on that one. We searched the kitchen for quick food, as neither of us had gotten a chance to eat back at the restaurant, and decided on a frozen pizza; wincing every time either of us attempted to chew.

"Maybe we should've made soup." I complained, moving my jaw as little as possible.

"We'll know better for next time."

"Planning a round two already? I'm not sure my body is going to be up for that for a while."

"It was just a general statement. I'm in no hurry to beat you up again." Will replied, making a pained face as he took another small bite.

"You mean get beat up by me again?"

"How about we just say I don't want to fight _with _you again, huh?" He took a sip of his drink and winched when the rim of the glass touched the brim of his nose.

"Deal."

We heard the door open and I inwardly groaned, not looking forward to the reprimanding that was to follow.

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**Jem's POV:**

Magnus and I finished up our dinners once we knew Alec and Will had at least somewhat worked out their problems. Alec hadn't given any details, but the fact that he was willingly planning on being in the same room as Will was progress.

Or so I thought until we arrived home and I saw the state of their faces.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Magnus asked before I could. Alec looked at the floor and Will just shrugged.

"Our reconciliation got a little out of hand. It's no big deal, it looks a lot worse than it is." Will replied nonchalantly, causing Alec to snort into his iced tea.

"Will! You were supposed to go apologize not beat him up!" Magnus yelled at his friend. Will still looked unphased, but Alec finally brought his eyes to Magnus's.

"It wasn't his fault, I started it and he tried to stop me. It was idiotic, but trust me, it won't happen again."

I was shocked that Alec had instigated something like that, but apparently not as shocked as his boyfriend. I happened to know that Alec had a history of school fights and a short temper. It was something we'd worked on together and he hadn't been in a fight in years.

"You, wait, what?" Magnus was staring between the two men sitting at the table.

Will got up and put his plate in the dishwasher, not bothering to break the awkward silence engulfing the room.

Whereas Alec looked incredibly guilty, Will looked as if this sort of evening happened all the time and none of us should be surprised with the outcome. He came over and attempted to put his arm around my shoulder, then apparently thought better of it and settled for wrapping it around my waist.

"I take it I have reason to be talking to the two of you again?"

Magnus was still speechless so I answered for him.

"Yes, we've worked everything out. Amazingly not a drop of blood was shed and we both enjoyed a lovely, painless meal."

"Eh, to each his own." Will replied, shrugging. I shook my head and noticed that Alec was smiling a little.

At least they were getting along now.

"Now, as much as I'd love to stay and reminisce about our glorious battle, I really should get home and take a shower. God only knows what was on the ground of that alley."

I discreetly pulled out of Will's grasp, stepping back an inch or two, making Alec and Will laugh.

"A shower sounds like a great idea." Alec agreed, standing up.

"Sorry darling, I wasn't inviting you." Will quipped. I expected a bad reaction from Alec, but he just rolled his eyes.

"That's alright, you're not exactly my type. I'm not into abusive relationships." Alec retorted, not missing a beat.

It was almost unbelievable that a few hours ago they'd been at each other's throats.

Will invited me to come back home with him and Alec actually encouraged me to go. Granted, he did it in a sarcastic, "you should take him up on that, he's probably going to need help redressing his wounds" sort of way, but the lighthearted sarcasm was a hell of a lot better than the icy jibes of the last week and I was thankful for it.


	32. How to Ease the Pain

**One of my assignments got postponed so I celebrated by finishing up this chapter. It's a little short, but it's really just a continuation of the last one, so oh well. **

**Warning: Smut is to follow. Plot spatter smut, but smut all the same :) and a little bit of fluff.**

**(Also, I am planning a chapter with a bunch of French in it. Do you prefer I leave translations til the end, or I could put them in brackets [_like this next to the sentence] _if that works better. However it flows best for the majority it what I'll do)**

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**Chapter 32 How to Ease the Pain:**

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**Magnus's POV:**

Will left with Jem and I stayed behind with Alec, who, once the door was closed and Will was gone, lost his lighthearted smile and immediately looked guilty again.

As he should have.

"Before you say anything, I want you to know I'm sorry. And you shouldn't be mad at Will at all, he really did try to stop me and I wouldn't let it go, and I'm so incredibly sorry. I was an idiot."

Alec's eyes shone like the sky, looking at me with earnest.

It was difficult to feel anger towards that sight. Especially since he and Will seemed to have everything worked out. I'd spent too much of this night mistakenly being angry and I just didn't have the energy for it anymore regardless.

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up." I took his hand and led him to the tiny, minimally decorated bathroom I'd become acquainted with over the last few days. I was dying to redecorate it, but Alec acted as if he had an allergy to color every time I brought it up so I just had to deal with it until I broke down those anti-chromatic walls of his.

"Will took care of cleaning all the cuts, I just..." He trailed off as I closed the door behind us, looking at the ground, ashamed. "I can't really bend my knuckles at the moment and that makes buttons and things kind of difficult..."

I laughed at the blush creeping up his neck to his ears. He was asking me to undress him.

I helped remove his t-shirt, stifling a gasp at the bright red areas of his abdomen that would likely be an awful shade of purple or brown tomorrow. I turned the shower on, giving the water some time to heat up while I removed his pants and socks. At least his legs didn't look so bad, except some faint scratches on his knees.

I still wasn't entirely sure on where we stood with the whole nakedness thing. We'd showered separately over the weekend, mostly because he spent his time soaking in a bath full of aromatherapy oils in an attempt to clear his sinuses and ease his muscle aches. But we'd slept for the most part in very little clothing.

I decided to play it safe.

"Do you think you'll need help with the showering part, or do you want me to wait outside?" I tried not to sound as if I was too eager for him to invite me into the shower with him, but I was.

He attempted to bend his fingers into a fist without breaking the fast healed scabs. He was unsuccessful.

"I think I may need some help with the shampooing and bottle opening- if you don't mind."

Grinning widely I quickly removed the last of his clothing and all of mine before adjusting the water temperature to make sure it wouldn't be too hot on his wounds.

In an attempt to make this a somewhat decent bathroom I'd bought some moisturizing, good smelling soaps while I was here over the weekend, along with a matching set (previously unheard of to Alec) of quality shampoo and conditioner. Sadly tonight I was stuck reaching for the boring, unscented antibacterial soap for him as open wounds don't tend to like fragrance oils. I could feel him tense under my touch, but I kept things strictly professional (if you were a professional body washer, I suppose), my hands never lingering or teasing in the ways that they were itching to.

I was especially careful of the large scrape on his back that he told me was probably from being pushed up against a brick wall, and of his split knuckles which were apparently messed up from Will's face. He claimed that the bruises didn't hurt that bad and they tended to appear at the drop of a hat, but I think he was just trying to make the extent of the injuries seem lessened.

They'd certainly done a number on one another.

I was mildly curious as to how Will had faired. I know he's fully capable of doing a lot worse to Alec if he'd been trying, or so I thought. I never would have imagined Alec would have been able to get in a hit that would make his nose look like that, or cause him to flinch when he laughed.

I previously had no idea of my boyfriend's fighting skills, I just assumed they were none existent like mine.

I would need to ask Will tomorrow. Or possibly Jem, as I'm sure Will would downplay any injury he received.

After washing both of our hair in the sandalwood scented shampoo and conditioner, we got out. I was a little put out that our first wet, soapy encounter couldn't have included more exciting events, but there was always next time. And if Alec's unsteady breath and obvious arousal when my hands slid up his thighs were anything to go by, he probably wouldn't be too objectionable to it.

We dried off and dressed quickly, both only donning boxers, or in my case boxer briefs. Alec couldn't be bothered to search in his dresser for anything else and I just wanted as little clothing as possible around him.

It was late by now and we were both tired out from our hellacious dinner, so after Alec took copious amount of over the counter pain medication, we crawled into his bed. I positioned myself next to him, trying not to touch any of the aching parts of his body, which unfortunately seemed to include most of them.

"Don't take what I'm about to do as approval," I told him once we'd gotten comfortable, "because I cannot emphasize enough that I do not condone your behavior tonight. That being said, I'm fairly certain none of us are proud if the way we acted and it will hopefully not be repeated any time in the future." I ran my hand across Alec's bare chest, avoiding the purplish bruise to the left of his navel.

"It won't be." He replied quickly. "At least not from me. Trust me, I'm more ashamed of my actions than you could possibly be and brawling in an alley is not an activity I want to engage in again ever. Especially with Will." His hand went to his busted lip and he grimaced.

"Good. I am _not_ a trophy to be fought over and won, nor am I your possession." I told him sternly.

"I know and I'm so sorry, I really don't know what came over me, but it won't happen again." He promised sincerely.

"It better not. That being said..." I sat up and climbed on top of him, careful not to put any pressure on bruised or battered parts. "My ego can't help finding it incredibly sexy; the idea that someone would want me enough to be that possessive over me." It was true. Ever since Jem and I had gotten back to the apartment and heard what had happened, my mind had been waging a war; the annoyed side that found it immature versus the flattered side that found it a major turn on.

Currently the latter was winning out.

"I _do _want you Magnus. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything." His took ahold of my hands, wincing when his skinned knuckles bent. I raised them to my lips and kissed softly, one by one.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back into the soft pillows.

"I wish I hadn't been such an idiot tonight." I wasn't sure whether he spoke to me or himself.

"Why?" I mused, turn one of his hands and pressing his palm to my lips.

"Because, I'm dying to be closer to you, but my stupid battle wounds won't allow it."

His words made me smile. It was a rare thing to hear such confessions escape those shy lips.

"I'm sure we can find a way around that." I leaned forward, placing my arms on either side of his head, supporting my weight so that his aching body didn't. "Does this hurt?"

I lightly licked his bottom lip, avoiding the spot that was split, and then moved to his top.

"No." His breath was picking up as I'm sure his brain was rapidly sorting through the possibilities of what this could be leading to.

"How about this?" I carefully pried his mouth slightly more open with my tongue, tasting the tip of his then retreating to lick his lips once more.

He shook his head no in reply. I bent down again and continued the pattern; dragging my tongue across his lips carefully until they opened, begging me to enter, then tasting his mouth slowly and shallow, teasing quiet whimpers from him. I could feel him growing hard beneath me; his pleasure gave me pleasure.

I lowered myself onto him a little more, still making sure I only put pressure on the parts that wanted it.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. My mouth found the delicious, smooth skin of his neck and set to work covering it with delicate feather-light kisses. When I was satisfied that location had been thoroughly seen to, I moved lower; kissing a convoluted trail around the bruises that were already starting to purple.

I skipped straight from his navel to his mid-thigh, not wanting to scare him out of the mood just yet. If I was lucky, I wouldn't at all.

His whimper when my mouth brushed across his toes made me pause in case there was some injury I hadn't seen, or he was ticklish, but I soon realized I'd discovered a magnificent secret that I would have to remember to exploit as often in the future as possible.

When I felt his breathing was adequately labored and his moans frequent enough, I decided it was time for the next step. I removed my boxer briefs quickly, returning to kiss him before he grew suspicious and opened his eyes. Then I removed his clothing. There was an immediate shift in mood; Alec's body tensing at being exposed to the cool air under my gaze.

I resumed the light kisses and soft touching though, moving back up and again avoiding the area between his thighs with my mouth and hands, and when I reached his chest I changed my position so that I straddled his hips once more.

This time his body tensed for an entirely different reason. He arched (I presumed involuntarily) into the heat of my arousal against his.

The teasing of his mouth with my tongue had him moaning and I could tell he was trying not to press against me again. When my hand slid between us his breath caught, and I couldn't be sure whether from enjoyment or fear.

I pressed my lips to his ear.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You." He replied weakly.

"And what else?" I nibbled I his ear lobe, hoping the answer wouldn't mean that I had to stop.

"How much I want to touch you."

I lowered my body against his more, craving his skin on my skin.

We both moaned and I kissed him, harder than I should have, causing the flavor of his mouth to turn coppery.

"I'm sorry." I pulled away instantly.

"It's ok." He ran his fingers across my chest, but the dark, lustful look in his eyes was gone, shocked away by the sudden pain.

_Fuck. _All of that hard work to get him to a relaxed, comfortable place was wasted.

_Maybe it won't make a difference. _

I nibbled at his jawline and slid my hand between us once more. His body tensed and his hand moved as if to pull mine away, but stopped short.

"If you insist on thinking, then think about me." I ordered, tugging on his earlobe with my teeth. He relaxed slightly and my hand continued its slow movements. "Say my name."

I applied tender, but firm pressure to the base of his sex.

"God Magnus!" He moaned. I chuckled, repeating the process.

"Close enough."

Making the assumption that Alec wouldn't have lube anywhere, and if I asked it would shatter the delicate mood we had going, I decided we would be breaking his taboos about touching _and _tasting tonight.

I kissed him carefully down his chest, continuing to stroke with my hand. I could feel him tense slightly the closer my mouth got to him, but he didn't try to stop me which was an improvement.

I traced my tongue over his hips before licking entirely up the length of him and back down again. I took his shudder and moan as a sign that I could continue. My mouth replaced my hand just long enough to give him a preview of what was awaiting him in the future should a change of heart suddenly occur, and to provide adequate lubrication for the continuation of my simultaneous stroking.

I positioned myself on top of him once more, leaning forward enough to bring our faces closer together and our arousals into contact, but not enough that the pressure of my body would be hurting any part of his beaten up self.

"Magnus," he breathed my name as my hands pumped a steady rhythm around us.

_By the gods_ it felt good.

It was no time at all before Alec's inexperience body was asking for release and, to my surprise, I was right there with him. The slow teasing process I had use to relax Alec had been incredibly erotic and my anatomy had not failed to notice. The knowledge that my lips were the first to be allowed to touch him, that he'd only ever been tasted by me, even if only for a brief moment, turned me on an unimaginable amount.

My movements grew faster and less coordinated as I focused on Alec's voice; the mantra of curse words and deities and my name that swirled together in his ecstatic state.

His fingernails dug into my thighs and my hands were suddenly slicked with a warm, stickiness.

"Fuck Alec..." I came almost as soon as I felt it, my body wracked with the pleasure of making him come for the first time in our relationship in such an intimate way. My world was spinning, the anticipation of finally being allowed to touch him had heightened my experience immensely.

I could barely imagine what it would be like when we finally took that final step. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it.

I cleaned us up with some tissues from the box on the nightstand before crawling back into bed next to him.

I lay on my side facing him, about to speak, but before I could say or do anything else he kissed me as deeply as he could without it hurting again.

When the kiss ended he pulled back, but not as far as he had been, so that our bodies were still touching and his face was close enough to mine that I could feel his hot breath against my skin. He was smiling like he wanted to say something.

"What?" I asked, dying to know what was on that over active mind of his.

"You're perfect." Was his simple response. I smiled before I could help myself.

"Even though I took advantage of you in a broken and beaten state?" My inquiry was _mostly_ teasing, though I was a little worried about how he felt about what I did now that it was over and his mind wasn't clouded by lust.

"You didn't take advantage of me, you read my mind." He spoke to my shoulder as, despite what we had just shared, he still couldn't look me in the eye while talking about it without blushing.

"Are you sure? I got a little carried away-"

His hand moved to caress my cheek and he looked up at me.

"I'm positive."

"No regrets?"

"Just one." He answered thoughtfully.

"Which is?" I wasn't sure I was ready for whatever answer was to follow. What had I done that he hadn't wanted?

"That I've waited this long to let you."

The relief I felt must have shown on my face because he laughed and pulled me into another careful kiss.

There are very few moments in my life that I can describe as perfect, but this was most definitely one of them.


	33. How to Be A Good Teacher

**So here's another one for you. More lovely smut. I was going to put a Heronstairs aftermath chapter in here, but I just wasn't inspired enough to get it done. So here we skip a couple of days and get to some more goodness. This is _probably_ the last chapter I will be posting this week, because I actually should get back to concentrating on things I'm graded on, but you never know. When it takes over my mind I can't stop it. **

**Thank you guys all for the lovely reviews! :) It has been voted that French will be in brackets, so brackets it is.**

**{The french in this chapter has been updated and corrected with the wonderful help of SabArtFan :)}**

**Disclaimer: Simon's shirt is from Thinkgeek, I didn't make it up. And Priceless is not mine. And as always, the characters belong to Cassie Clare. **

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**October 23 Friday, Chapter 33 How to Be A Good Teacher:**

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_How did I let myself get roped into this? _I asked myself for the thousandth time so far that evening. _Oh yeah, because I have a boyfriend _and _a sister that don't take no for an answer. _

I sat at my desk hastily finishing up the final touches on my 10 page midterm paper for medical anthropology; a compare/contrast of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western Biomedicine.

I had about ten more minutes before Isabelle and Magnus were due to arrive and take over the rest of my night. For some reason I had agreed to help them cram for their French midterm; an act I am generally against. Cramming for an exam doesn't help you learn anything, it only helps you memorize and then your brain forgets most of it afterwards. But I was hoping that if I forced them into a night of immersion they would at least retain _something. _Even if it was only "this sucks" or "can we go to bed now?"

Right on time there was a knock on my door, then before I could reach it, I heard the _click _of the lock and Isabelle came through with the help of the key I'd given her in case of emergencies.

"Ever heard of waiting to be let? I could have been walking around naked."

"That would have been wonderful." Magnus answered, walking in behind a pizza-wielding Isabelle, holding some grocery bags. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for the kitchen.

"Eww that's my brother you're talking about!" Izz squealed after him, setting the pizza box on the coffee table and flopping down into a chair. "It's not like you didn't know we were coming." She said, replying belatedly to my inquiry. "I'd never use it to drop by unannounced; at least not now that you have boyfriend." She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively (something I would have been uncomfortable with even if it hadn't come from my sister) and hopped right back up as Magnus came back into the room. "I'm gonna go change, don't start eating without me!" She called, heading for the bathroom.

"Why are you changing?" I called after her.

"It's a French pajama party _remember_?" She spoke as if I were a very small child who needed each word enunciated for them.

"You weren't serious about that were you?"

"Of course she was. Now come on." Magnus answered for her, grabbing my hand and pulling me into my bedroom.

He began stripping once the door was closed, laughing when he saw the look on my heated face.

"Indulge us, please?" He stuck out his bottom lip, walking over to me half naked.

_There is not a person alive who could say no to that_.

I didn't speak, only nodded. His pout immediately turned into a wide grin and he pulled my shirt off before kissing me jovially. "Merci mon cher. See, it's helping already."

He changed into some ridiculously bright matching pajamas that were decent enough to be worn around my sister, but tight enough to make me wish she wasn't here.

He was sorely disappointed with my own selection, which consisted of a pair of blue and black flannel pants and a faded t-shirt, but seeing as there were really no other options, he had to let it go. We walk back to the den and sat next to a very purple Izzy on the couch. Her shorts were light purple with little blue kittens on them and her shirt was baby blue with a large purple kitten across the chest. This ensemble was topped off by her fluffy purple slippers which were, you guessed it, in the shape of kittens.

"We match!" Magnus told her, indicating a similar yellow kitten pattern on his bright green pants. I just shook my head at the ridiculousness of my life and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"How many chapters does this midterm cover?" I asked, thumbing through their textbook.

"One through four." Izzy groaned.

I looked at the material. Nothing too difficult, and I knew for a fact they were both keeping up with their vocabulary since I was still tutoring every once in a while. I also knew because I encouraged Magnus to speak it as much as possible. Though, most of the vocab I taught him would _definitely _not be on this test.

There's just something about the sound of a foreign language coming out of your boyfriend's mouth... It was the same when he spoke Indonesian, which has only ever happened a couple of times so far, but considering it was during _very intimate_ moments, I couldn't _not_ associate it with that.

"Alright, well there's enough phrases in here to make it through the night. You both know how to ask 'how do you say _blank_ right?"

"Comment dit-on." They replied in unison.

"Great. No more English." They groaned.

"You never mentioned that part of the pajama party..." Magnus said accusatorily.

"J'ai oublié." _[I forgot]_ I tossed the French dictionary I'd just remove from his backpack at him and got up to get myself something to drink.

"Est-ce que vous voulez quelque chose à boire?" [_Do you all want something to drink?] _I tried to avoid using any tenses they wouldn't be introduced to yet, like the conditional or subjunctive. I would need to slip some passé composé into our conversation at some point as well.

I found it funny whenever they complained about having to remember which verbs took être and which took avoir. If they thought that was hard I couldn't wait to see how they dealt with l'imparfait next semester. Or the passé simple or plus que parfait. This was the easy part.

I missed the good ol' 101 days.

"Oui. Je veux un verre d'eau s'il vous plaît." _[Yes. I want a glass of water please] _Isabelle managed.

"Moi aussi." _[Me too] _Chimed in Magnus.

* * *

Three hours later Magnus and Izz had lost all of their enthusiasm for the French pajama party and I was starting to enjoy myself. It was rare that I got to spend so much straight time speaking in French and it was good practice for my own midterm, though I would need to work on more advanced things.

"Je veux regarder un film!" _[I want to watch a movie!] _Isabelle whined. They had been working really hard and I was sure they would do fine on their exams, so I caved. Sort of.

"Si le film est en français, nous pouvons le regarder." _[If the movie is in French, we can watch it.]_

"Formidable!" _[Wonderful!] _Magnus cheered. He found some Audrey Tautou film on Netflix and headed to the kitchen to pop some popcorn. Isabelle grabbed the throw blanket off the back of her chair and wrapped it around herself.

My attention was piqued when I heard the blender start.

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" _[What is that?] _I asked Isabelle. She just shrugged.

Magnus came back with a tray of piña coladas and a bowl of popcorn. He handed one to each of us and sat down next to me. I snuggled next to him and took a sip, not expecting the strong blast of alcohol that assaulted my taste buds.

"As-tu donné de l'alcool à ma sœur ?!" _[You gave alcohol to my sister?!] _I demanded.

"Répétez s'il vous plaît?" Magnus replied coyly. Isabelle giggled.

"Magnus."

"What? She's barely a year younger than you."

"And I shouldn't be drinking this either."

"So selective in your law breaking." He was referring to my evening of drowning my imaginary sorrows in vodka; knowing that I wouldn't push the subject.

"Hmph. Don't give her anymore. And you spoke English." I complained.

"So did you." He retorted.

"You started it. And I made the rules, I can break them when I need to. Teacher's privilege."

"Do I get punished for not following the rules?" He asked, snuggling closer to me and sliding his hand across my thigh. I pushed it away, blushing furiously. My _sister _was in the room for Christ's sake!

"Regardez le film!" _[Watch the movie!]_ I ordered, turning back to the television and ignoring Magnus and Izzy's laughter.

Isabelle's phone rang right as I was about to hit play. She ignored my disapproving look and answered it with a sickeningly sweet voice, retreating to my bedroom and closing the door.

"Professeur Lightwood, nous méritons une pause, n'est-ce pas?" _[we deserve a break, don't we?] _Magnus asked, sliding his hands over my chest. I tried to keep my stern countenance, but it was proving difficult. "You know, you could always end class early; Izz can go enjoy the rest of her evening and you can instruct me in some extra credit. I would do almost _anything_..." His mouth was close to my ear when he spoke and his hands were roaming freely.

"I really hope you don't talk to your actual teachers like that." I stuttered out, trying not to focus on what his fingers were trying to do.

"No, only the incredibly sexy, black haired, blue eyed T.A.'s."

"That's a very specific list of qualities you have." I noted, leaning away from him to take another sip of my piña colada.

Isabelle walked back into the room before he could reply. It was a good thing too, because I'm fairly certain he had no intention of replying in words.

"So, I was telling Simon about our movie," She said, walking over and unlocking my front door. "And apparently he's a HUGE Audrey Tautou fan."

"Really, what an amazing coincidence! I would have never guessed that of him." I replied with clear sarcasm, catching on to her game.

"I know right? Well, I told him he could join us if he wanted to. I figured you wouldn't mind as long as he didn't speak English."

I hadn't noticed Isabelle's interest in Simon until Magnus pointed it out, but since then it'd been obvious.

And now she was using our tutoring session as a date night.

Where we were all in our pajamas.

"Go get dressed if you're going to be inviting guys over."

"I am dressed, _mother_." Izz griped, fixing her hair in the mirror by the door. I wondered briefly if she planned to stand there until he got here, but I didn't mention it.

"Barely." I grumbled.

Both my sister and boyfriend rolled their eyes at me.

"Darling, she looks fine. Adorable, one might say. And she's wearing kitten slippers. I'm sorry, but Simon doesn't seem like the kind of guy to whom that screams 'take me on my brother's coffee table, while he's in the room." Magnus defended.

I was mortified at hearing something like that involving my sister, but she apparently thought it was hilarious.

"I like you more and more every day." She told Magnus, finally satisfied with her hair and coming to sit back down.

She reached for her drink but I grabbed it away from her before she could.

"No getting drunk while Simon's here." I ordered.

"Seriously Alec? It's _one _drink, and it barely has anything in it." She looked to Magnus for help, but I gave him a look that had him backing down, offering only a shrug in support. "Fine, I'll go pour it out." She whined.

"No need to waste good booze, Alec can drink it." Magnus offered. I tried the glare again, but apparently it's only 50% effective. Izzy perked up at that.

"Go for it, he needs it a lot more than I do."

There was a knock at the door while I tried to think up a good comeback.

"Come in!" Izzy yelled.

An awkward looking Simon walked through the door, wearing a t-shirt with a drawing of a platypus on it and a caption reading "go home evolution, you're drunk," under a black hoodie. There was no wonder why I hadn't made the connection that Izz liked him; he was in no way like any of the guys she'd dated or fawned over before.

"Uh, bonjour guys." He waved and shut the door behind him. Isabelle got up to lead him over to her oversized chair that would easily fit two if you sat _really _close together. The pointed look I gave her earned another eye roll and a glare, but I got my way and he was seated across from her in her chair's match.

"So, I hear you're a huge Tautou fan," I told Simon. He looked at Izzy before replying.

"Yeah, he's great."

Isabelle and Magnus dropped their heads at the same time.

"You should probably brief him a little better on your lies next time." I told her, grabbing the remote again. It wasn't like I was going to kick him out now that he was already here. "Let's just get this over with. No more English for the rest of the night. And no subtitles, sorry Simon."

Fully embracing my sulk, I slumped back into Magnus's embrace and started working on my piña colada while the actors worked their magic.

* * *

I didn't remember there being quite so many scenes in _Priceless_ that would make me uncomfortable, but the two (very strong) piña coladas finished in less than an hour coupled with my boyfriend's wandering hands and the awkwardness of Simon and Isabelle was building up to be almost unbearable. I wanted to fain a headache and leave the room, but I doubted Magnus would let me go alone and I didn't want Simon and Izz to be left to their own devices. Especially not in my living room.

This movie didn't seem to want to give me a choice though. One more scene of seduction and I had had enough. I hit pause.

"I'm calling it a night, I'm not feeling well. Probably that poison you two made me drink." I told the surprised group around me.

"You should probably go lay down. Simon and I can finish up the movie and I'll lock up when we leave. I'll get the dishes too, don't worry about them."

The offer to do the dishes was a dead giveaway that she had less than perfect intentions for when I left the room.

"I'm sure Simon probably wants to go, why don't we all just call it a night?" I countered stubbornly.

"Nonsense, viens mon doux _[come! my sweet] _let's get you to bed and leave them to the rest of their film." Magnus stood up, pulling me along with him.

I wanted to object, but the world started spinning when I stood and once I'd gotten my balance again I'd lost the will to complain.

"You should check on them randomly." I instructed my boyfriend. He nodded in agreement, but I know he was just placating me.

Magnus pushed me through the door of my bedroom and locked it behind us.

"So, professeur," He purred into my ear, walking up behind me, "what's on the agenda for the rest of our session? Perhaps that extra credit I mentioned earlier?"

The alcohol heating my blood encouraged me to play along, as did Magnus's wandering hands. Besides, he seemed to really like this particular fantasy, and I couldn't honestly say I was adverse to it either.

I pulled him a bit closer to the bed, then stepped back, out of his grasp.

"Well, you're going to have to demonstrate to me that you can follow my orders since you apparently had such a difficult time with it earlier." I told him, feeling like an idiot. Magnus seemed to be enjoying this little role play a lot though so I continued with my best authoritative voice. "And you're going to need to prove to me that you can be patient and give me your attention. Can you do that?"

He nodded, biting his lip as I slowly peeled my shirt off and dropped it to the floor. His gaze followed the article of clothing.

"Les yeux sur moi _[eyes on me]._ You're going to have to do better than that." I chastised. I continued to remove my clothing as slowly and as sensually as possible. Or at least I tried. I honestly had no idea whether what I was doing was sexy or just stupid, but he wasn't complaining so I went with it. In fact, he was practically drooling.

I felt incredibly self-conscious standing there naked in front of him, but the alcohol quelled my inhibitions enough that I didn't dwell on it. Instead I walked closer to him.

"Et maintenant, puisque tu as tellement insisté pour violer les règles ce soir, tu vais devoir me démontrer vos habiletés orales pour moi, compris?" _[And now, since you insisted on violating the rules so much tonight, you're going to need to demonstrate your oral skills to me. Understand?]_. I enunciated every word to make sure that he had time to process what I was getting at. It felt like the cheesiest thing I could have possibly said but the look on Magnus's face when he was done mentally translating was well worth it. As was the whimper that escaped his lips.

This was so much easier when it wasn't in English..

"Ok." He replied lamely.

Apparently his comprehension exceeded his ability for usage.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Excusez-moi? Is that how you address ton professeur? Let's try this again." I moved passed him and got comfortable on the bed. His eyes followed my every move. "I believe you were about to give me an oral presentation?"

I don't even want to _think_ about how much I must've been blushing as those words come out of my mouth.

He licked his lips before regaining his composure. He walked to the foot of the bed and smiled wickedly at me.

"Oui monsieur."

I must admit, I was _far_ more aroused from our little game than I had imagined I would be and hearing him play along had me aching for his touch; something for which I didn't have to wait long.

Magnus's inhumanly soft lips felt incredible as he brushed them against every inch of my sex, teasing my arousal into full swing.

_I can't believe I waited so long for this. _

There were no lingering doubts or fears in my mind about being intimate with Magnus anymore. I still wanted to take things slow with regards to full on sex, but not because I was scared. I just wanted to savor what we had for a little while. There was no need to rush. Besides, I couldn't imagine _ever _getting bored of this.

Magnus's lips finally parted, allowing the head of my cock a painfully slow, but incredibly rewarding, entry into his warm, wet mouth.

I moaned loudly in approval, knowing from the last few days of experience that he liked vocal responses to his actions.

His tongue swirled around me before the contact was broken. I looked down to see his lust-filled eyes watching me.

"Ça te plaît?" _[do you like this?] _He utter the phrase I had taught him the night before last.

A shudder rippled through my body in reaction to his voice and his breath on my flesh. He smirked and returned to his previous actions, taking more of me inside of his talented mouth at an excruciatingly slow pace. The tension in my muscles was building rapidly, but he was determined to draw out my pleasurable torture. The moment my hands gripped the sheets, involuntarily tensing in anticipation, his mouth no longer surrounded me. It instead peppered my thighs and hips and everything in between with light kisses which, though enjoyable, were not what my body was yearning for.

His ability to read my body amazed me every time we touched. It took him no time to learn exactly what I liked most and what wasn't as amazing (I can't say 'what I didn't like' because there wasn't a moment that Magnus was touching me when I didn't like it). Tonight was no different. He returned his attention where I wanted it most only after the tension in my muscles had eased and my hands returned to absentmindedly stroking his forearms (his hands had been employed only to caress my abdomen and hips thus far).

The third time he started to pull away I had to stop him; I couldn't take this anymore.

"N'arrête pas! _[don't stop!]_" I hadn't actually meant to say that in French, but my brain apparently wasn't capable of switching back and forth in this state.

He looked up, locking eyes with me, saying "je veux te goûter," before quickly taking me back into his mouth.

I don't know where he learned that phrase but _fuck._

"Ohh... Magnus...je vais venir..._ [I'm coming]_"

My fingers laced themselves in his hair as the waves of ecstasy washed over me, finally.

Once I was entirely spent, my body feeling too relaxed to moved, he positioned himself next to me on the bed.

I was suddenly aware that I was completely naked and he still had all of his innocent, kitten covered, clothing on. I was also acutely aware of the fact that I was used to being in an empty apartment, not caring about how loud I was, and my baby sister and her whatever-she-was-calling-him probably heard that.

I would worry about that when I came down off of my high. Right now, all I wanted to think about was Magnus.

"Was my presentation satisfactory?" He smirked, knowing full and well how satisfactory I'd found it.

Instead of answering in words, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into kiss. I had imagined, back when I was adverse to such things, that I would be disgusted by kissing someone after they had done that, but there was something about tasting myself on Magnus lips... knowing that he was mine, only mine...

It was intoxicating.

"I'll take that as a yes." Magnus replied breathlessly when we finally broke apart.

"So far."

I removed his shirt before he had a chance to reply and pushed him onto his back.

I wanted more of him. I _needed _more.

I needed to taste and touch more of that caramel skin; I needed to hear his moans; hear him call out my name.

The rest of his clothing quickly joined his shirt on the floor.

"_God Alexander,"_ he sighed, tilting his head to the side to afford me better access to bite and lick. Our bodies were aligned now, with me on top of him. His left leg wrapped around me, hands explored my body while my mouth explored his.

_God he is delicious_.

* * *

**Magnus's phrase "je veux te goûter," is supposed to mean "I want to taste you", I felt like adding the translation took away from the sensuality of the scene so I left it to the end.**


	34. What a little sparring & sharing can do

**FINALLY AN UPDATE! Ok, this chapter killed me. I got stuck in a rut around the middle and just couldn't finish it. I had a horrible case of writer's block this week and I think just overall burn out from midterms. But thank good all of that is over now! I'm going to do my best to get the Halloween chapter up on Halloween, but there's going to be at least two (one Malec and one Heronstairs) so I may only get one up. I've already started working on it. Let's all pray the motivation sticks with me! **

**Anyway, thank you all for being patient and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of roommate relationship development, a little sentimental. **

**(And Clockworks' Angel inspired the little bit between Izzy and Alec in here so hehehe)  
**

**Disclaimer: I mention a bunch of copyrighted stuff, like Starbucks, and none of it belongs to me. Also, the character's are Cassie Clare's.**

**(Also, Somewhere all my dates got messed up so I'm going to go back and fix them. Or at least try to at some point. Forgive me)**

* * *

**Saturday October 24, Chapter 34 What a little sparring and sharing can do:**

* * *

**Alec POV:**

Magnus left early the next morning, headed to work for a double because of the pickup in business during the holiday rush. I got up to make him some coffee, and to check on the state of my living room. Surprisingly, it was spotless. Isabelle had kept her word and cleaned up all of the popcorn and drinks, even folded up the blanket she'd be using and laid it back on the top of the chair. When I went into the kitchen I noticed that the dished had not only been washed by hand (not just rinsed and stuck in the dishwasher) but dried and put away.

I was immediately suspicious.

"When you left the room last night, did you walk in on anything I should know about?" I asked Magnus, handing him a thermos of Colombian dark roast.

He coughed and took a sip of coffee before replying.

_Stalling?_

"Of course not darling, why do you ask?"

"Everything is just so...clean. Izzy usual doesn't bother that much."

"I'm sure she was just thanking you for the help and for letting Simon stay until the end of the movie. You should trust her more. She _is _an adult, you know."

I was fully aware (as she told me every time I made any comment on any aspect of her life) that Isabelle was an adult and capable of taking care of herself. Still, I'm her big brother. It's my job to look out for her.

I just shrugged and walked Magnus to the door, kissing him goodbye before closing it and heading back to bed for another hour or so.

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, intending to text Izzy and try to pry some incriminating information out of her, but the message that popped up on my screen stopped me cold.

**You're a very loud sleeper; I'm surprised Magnus can handle it. Or maybe he can't and that's why he kept saying your name so loud ;) Anyway, thanks for the lovely evening (which you apparently enjoyed more than I did ;) )**

I was mortified.

She had heard. Which means Simon did too. _Oh god. _I would never live this down.

I wasn't sure what to reply so I didn't. What do you say to that? Nothing. Just nothing.

I was still suspicious as to what she and Simon had gotten up to, but it wasn't like I could chastise her now. I just put the phone back on the table and went back to bed, hoping she would forget soon, but knowing she wouldn't.

* * *

Jem came home right as I was contemplating a late lunch.

"Hey, how did last night go? Everyone up to date with the language of love?" He asked, dropping his backpack in the floor. He'd gone straight to Will's after class yesterday, not wanting to get involved with the French lessons. He'd been through it once already and, according to him, that was enough.

I blushed thinking about his unintended double meaning. _Language of love indeed..._

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll both ace it. Izzy ended up inviting that kid Simon over after a couple of hours though and it all kind of went downhill from there." That wasn't technically true. I fairly certain we would all agree that the evening took a distinct turn for the better after Magnus and I excused ourselves. But that wasn't a necessary detail.

"Oh well, I'm sure you did what you could." Jem took a seat next to me on the couch and Church instantly came out of the kitchen and jumped in his lap. I swear that cat has a Jem-beacon.

"How was your night? Full of tea and studying?"

"Essentially. Though Will doesn't let me fall asleep on the couch reading. Neither does that cat of Magnus's. He's not content like Church, the little devil likes to pounce." He petted his cat behind the ears and beamed at him like he was proud of his calm countenance. Church was also a few years older than The Chairman and therefore much less frisky than the fluffy little kitten.

"Ha well feel free to take him with you the next time you go; all he does is cry for you when you're not here. That and try to sit on my head. I _really_ don't like that." He had the most annoying meow when he was searching for Jem. It was almost like he was calling his name and it was _creepy_.

"Chairman Meow has started pining for Magnus too. He sits at his bedroom door and mewls until you let him in and then he just looks around all sad once he realized his owner isn't in there. I guess we should really think about how our relationships are effecting the children."

I laughed heartily at him. He really is on his way to being an old cat lady.

"I'm sure they'll get over it."

"We could just switch our habits, since my cat wants me here and Magnus's wants him there." Jem suggested.

"Yeah I guess, but it's essentially Will's place and his brother is there sometimes. Wouldn't it just be easier to switch cats?"

"I'm not sure. I can talk to Will about it tomorrow though, we're supposed to go looking for Halloween stuff or something. Oh that reminds me, did Magnus tell you about the party?"

"Yeah, he's apparently already got a costume for me and everything. Having your boyfriend take your measurements is a very strange and distracting project by the way." I felt myself blush a little bit saying that, but not as much as I would have expected. It was actually kind of nice, both of us having boyfriends to talk about. It had never happened before.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. He said it was something called a _Shadowhunter _from some movie or book series or something. He swears up and down that it's not an embarrassing costume, but I'm leery of the gap between our definitions of embarrassing." To Magnus, wearing glitter and make-up and bright colors was second nature, for me wearing a shade lighter than grey was getting out of my comfort zone.

"Haha I'm looking more and more forward to this party every day." His laughter made church run off. I rolled my eyes at his lack of sympathy for my impending doom.

"Duìle, if you're free today, I think we should do some tai chi."

"Jem, Monday was just a fluke, I swear. I'm not going to let it happen again." I knew he was only suggesting the tai chi because of what had happened between me and Will. I'd let my anger get the better of me, for the first time in a long time.

"I believe you, I just think it'd do us both some good, what with all this midterm stress and everything."

Those were weak excuses, but I agreed anyway. I wasn't having as hard of a time handling the stress as I had previous semesters, thanks to Magnus. He had a decidedly de-stressing effect on my life. In general. Now that everything with Will was straightened out.

"Can we get some lunch first, I'm starving." I inquired, heading to my room to grab my gym bag.

"Yes please. I haven't eaten all day."

* * *

An hour and a half later Jem and I had finished lunch at a local cafe. It was near the mall Magnus works at; Jem said he didn't mind if we stopped in to say hi, so we did.

He'd been texting me all day saying how tired he was and how much he wanted the day to be over. I stopped by the Starbucks in the mall and bought him a venti mocha, checking my phone while waiting for it to be made.

**Shoot me, please? This day is sooooo fucking long and there's still a couple hours before it'll pick up. I just want to go back to bed. **

**Why don't you go get some coffee? **I suggested, retrieving the coffee I'd just bought him from the grumpy looking employee.

**My break isn't for another hour. And Camille is being a bitch, as per usual. Too bad I don't have a sexy man to give me some like I did this morning ;) **

I had reached the store front now and replied before walking in.

**Well, maybe if you're lucky, you will. **

I saw him reading my text from behind the register then look up towards the entrance where Jem and I were walking in. He smiled widely at my approach, and even wider when he noticed the coffee cup in my hand.

He met me halfway and immediately grabbed the coffee from my hands and took a long sip.

"Hey that's really hot!" I tried to tell him, be he drank it anyway. "And you're welcome by the way."

He sat the cup down on the counter and pulled me into a much-too-intimate-and-over-the-top-for-public kiss, making me blush furiously.

"I had to get some caffeine before I did that." He explained.

"I'm not sure you understand how that works…" I joked. I really didn't care that he skipped over the greeting and went straight for the coffee. I'd had plenty of days like that.

He led me over to the register and started whining to me about his day, even though I'd already heard all his complaints via text. I listened dutifully until the sight of a petite blonde coming out of the back room caught my eye. It was the girl from the photo.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that Magnus was mine now and he wanted nothing to do with her.

"Ooooo finally! The blue eyed beauty graces us with his presence." Camille cooed, sauntering up to us.

Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Camille this is my boyfriend Alec, Alec this is my boss Camille." Magnus introduced us, waving his hand back and forth.

"It's so lovely to _finally_ meet you. I've heard so much." She shook my hand, even though I hadn't offered it. I was nonplused.

_Is it lovely? Why? _

"Uh, yeah, you too." I replied diplomatically. Despite harboring nothing but bad feelings towards this bouncy blonde (mostly because of Magnus's opinion of her), I still couldn't bring myself to be rude when she was being so polite and had never actually done anything to me to warrant it.

"I would say 'all good I hope', but I'm sure it wasn't. The kinds of stories Magnus could tell about me..." She winked at him and giggled, running her hand over his shoulder as she finished talking.

The longer I stood there the easier wanting to be impolite to her was getting.

Magnus looked extremely annoyed and exasperated, like he had to deal with this all the time. Who knows, maybe he did. Maybe she'd met dozens of new girlfriends/boyfriends since they dated.

_Stop it Alec. _

"Yes well, we'd love to stay and chat about all the bad things I've said about you, but don't you have a job to do?" Magnus asked her dryly.

"Yes, supervising you. I can do that from here." She turned her attention to me then, staring at me like a lioness sizing up her prey. "So, what do you do Alec? Aside from Magnus that is." I'm entirely certain she added that last comment just to see how much more she could make me squirm. I tried not to let it phase me, but I knew my face had turned crimson.

"I work at a museum." I told her, not stooping to her level (mainly because I suck at instantaneous snarky, overtly sexual comebacks).

"How... fascinating." She drawled sarcastically. She was about to say something else when an actual customer came over to the counter for help and Magnus took the opportunity to lead me away from her and her prying questions.

* * *

**Jem POV:**

I wandered around the novelty store, browsing the tacky plastic decorations while waiting for Alec to finish up talking to Magnus. I was just musing over how anatomically incorrect the plastic skeleton- with a female pelvis and a male skull- was when I was approached by a salesperson.

"What can I help you find today?" She asked, reciting her spiel with the perky enthusiasm of one who has had four too many energy drinks in the last hour. The girl looked around my age and was the exact opposite of the woman I'd seen standing next to Alec and Magnus at the register, (who I could only guess was Camille). She had wide, sweet looking grey-blue eyes and her chestnut hair pulled into a messy bun. Instead of the revealing, eye catching sort of outfit Camille was wearing, she had on jeans and a sweater, giving her a very bookish appearance.

"Nothing, thank you. I'm just waiting for my friend." I felt almost guilty at how put out she looked. I was the only 'customer' in the store at the moment.

"Well my name's Tessa, let me know if you need anything." She smiled genuinely and began straightening the items of a shelf near me.

I felt like I either had to leave the area or make small talk, otherwise there was an awkward silence stretching between us.

"I'm surprised you all aren't busier, being so close the Halloween." I said lamely. What else do you talk about with a salesperson you don't know in a store carrying nothing you want to buy?

She looked up at me and smiled again, brushing a wandering strand of hair back behind her ear.

"It'll pick up a lot in a couple of hours. And especially the day before Halloween. Everyone likes to wait until the last possible minute." She groaned. "Which is why I'll be here until eleven on Halloween."

"After about the age of fifteen the Halloween doesn't get fun until that late anyway." I offered.

"I suppose not." She giggled. "So what about you? What do you usually do on Halloween night?"

"_Usually _I just catch up on my studying while watching a lot of really bad old horror movies."

"That sounds like fun. Is that what's on the agenda for this year?" She leaned against a shelf of fake blood, smiling at me sweetly.

"No. I'm being forced out of my lair for once." I answered while I imagined what a giant mess all of those bottles would make if the shelf broke. My response brought on another giggle from the brunette for some reason.

_I'm really not being that funny. _

"The girlfriend dragging you to a party?" She inquired.

"No, not the girlfriend. My-"

"Tess, shouldn't you be harassing potential _paying _customers?" Magnus cut me off, coming up behind Tessa with Alec in toe.

"What customers?" She replied.

"Good point. I want you to meet my boyfriend, Alec. Alec this is my co-minion Tessa."

Alec held his hand out to Tessa and she shook it.

"Lovely to finally put a face to the name. Not that Magnus hadn't shown me your picture a thousand times. Camera phones don't do you justice by the way." As she rambled Alec's cheeks got redder and redder and he shuffled his feet.

"Um-thanks..." He muttered.

"I take it you've already met his roommate, Jem." Magnus changed the topic off of his blushing boyfriend.

Tessa looked at me and her joyful smile waivered almost imperceptibly.

"Kind of. I didn't realize..." She looked away from me and turned to Magnus. "I should probably grab some stock before Camille comes over here and starts bitching." Turning back to Alec and me she excused herself and headed towards the back room.

"What must you be saying about me behind my back?" I mused jokingly at Magnus. He shrugged.

"That has more to do with who you're dating than anything I've said. Don't worry about it." He ignored my quizzical look and refocused the conversation. "Alec, darling I need you to come over soon and try on your costume."

Alec looked like he would rather go on a date with a vampire than try on a costume that his boyfriend picked out, but he mumbled an "ok" before checking the time.

"We should probably get going, I've got a bunch of reading to do tonight and we'll probably be at least a couple hours at the gym."

Magnus pouted.

"But it's going to be sooooooo boring once you leave."

"I'm sure you'll manage." Alec reassured him.

I stepped back a few paces towards the door while they made plans to see each other and said their goodbyes and was glad I had when I saw Alec pull his boyfriend into a kiss the likes of which would have made Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson blush. I wanted to look away, but it was like witnessing a car accident, I knew I should, but I just couldn't.

I would have been left baffled over his boldness, had I not seen Camille- also staring- over Magnus's shoulder in full view of Alec.

I laughed to myself as Alec finished up his goodbyes.

That boy and his possessiveness...

* * *

**Alec POV:**

The gym was nearly empty when we got there, most students preferring to work out before or between classes during the early afternoon. Jem and I went to one of the empty studio rooms and began laying the mats out on the floor in a large square.

Once we were done we spent a few minutes stretching. My shoulder was still a bit sore from fighting with Will but everything else had healed up nicely. My lip had only taken two days to heal over and probably would have do so sooner if I could have stopped myself from kissing Magnus for a day.

It'd been a while since Jem and I had sparred. I was thankful for the years of practicing two to three days a week with him, learning how to channel my anger into controlled fluid movements of Tai chi or kick boxing. Otherwise Will would have kicked my ass way worse than he had. Granted, I still had a bit of issue controlling my anger- obviously- but for the most part it had helped. It'd saved me from sinking into depression many a time, especially right after we moved in together and after Sebastian left.

Jem and I squared off, warming up with a few light shots to one another.

"We should make more time for this. I feel like I haven't seen you hardly at all these last few weeks." Jem commented, ducking away from a punch I had just thrown.

"I know. I love being with Magnus, but he does take up a lot of my time. Sometimes more than I have to give." It was why I had been so reluctant to get into a relationship to begin with. Now that I was I most certainly didn't regret it, I just wish there were more hours in a day.

"We'll figure something out." He kicked at me and I blocked, retaliating with a punch that he easily avoided. "Watch your stance. You're off balance." He instructed.

I adjusted the way I was distributing my weight and we continued. For the next two and a half hours.

* * *

"I have to stop; I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow if we don't." I told Jem after he knocked me to the floor for the umpteenth time.

He took a seat next to me, laughing.

"Thank the Angels. I expected you to give up an hour ago!"

"You could have called it off any time." I wanted to ask if he was ok, but I knew better. Still, I rolled onto my side to get a better look at him. He looked fatigued, but so did I and his cheeks were full of color. Honestly, Jem looks most alive when he's beating something up. It's a little disturbing.

"I was having too much fun. Especially once you remembered what you were doing."

I glared. Ok, it _had_ taken me a few hits and meetings with the mat to get back in the swing of things. So what.

"It's a good thing your muscle memory kicked in on Monday. Or maybe not. Could've saved at least one of you some bruises."

"True. It all worked out for the best though."

"You know, one of these days you're going to have to learn to face your issues using your mouth and not your fists." His expression was stern was but his eyes were soft. It still made me feel sheepish. I'd apologized to Magnus numerous times, but I hadn't had the chance to discuss it with Jem yet.

"I know and I'm really sorry about all of that. I was doing so much better before..."

"Before you fell in love and your brain took a vacation? It happens." He shrugged and patted me on the shoulder. I just blinked at him. _Am I that obvious? _

"I'm not, I mean-how did- what makes you think I'm in love?" Had Will told him? I'd asked him not to tell Magnus, but I hadn't even thought about him telling Jem.

"Please Alec, I've spent practically every day with you for the past three years, you think I haven't noticed?"

"I told Will." I blurted out, out of nowhere. I don't know why admitting out loud that I'm in love made my heart race and palms sweat like a sorority girl running from an axe murderer in a cheesy horror film, but it did.

"What?" Jem looked utterly confused.

"On Monday, when we were in the alley. It just slipped out, I didn't mean to say it."

"Alec it's ok to admit you're in love. It's not like you're admitting to murder." He laughed at my nervousness and I felt even more ridiculous than I had before. I put my forehead to the mat and groaned. "Have you told Magnus?"

"He's the only one who doesn't know." I mumbled.

"Just because you haven't told him doesn't mean he doesn't know. Why haven't you?- I'm sorry, that's not any of my business."

I sat up and faced him.

"No it's fine. I'd rather talk to you about this than Isabelle, if you don't mind."

"You know you can talk to me about anything." Jem said seriously.

"Isn't it too soon to for me to be feeling like this? I mean, what if it's just the infatuation phase or whatever?"

"Well, some psychologists say that can last for six months to three years so if you're planning on waiting that out until you tell Magnus how you feel he's probably either going to have figured it out by then, or dumped you. Either way, the sooner the better in my opinion."

"Yeah but what if he doesn't feel the same way? What if it freaks him out? He's not exactly the committed relationship type. I don't even know if he's ever been in love before." Admitting this left me with a slightly panicky feeling. What if he wasn't in love _now? _

"You never know until you try. And what's the worst that can happen? He says it's too soon for him? Is that really going to change the way _you_ feel?"

"No, but it might make things weird. I don't want to ruin what we have."

"You think telling a man you love him will ruin your romantic relationship with him?" I can always count on Jem not to hold back when I need to hear something. Even if he's saying the same thing I've thought to myself a million times, it somehow sinks in more when it's said out loud by someone else.

"No… I just, it might."

"I don't think you're afraid he won't say it back, I think you're afraid he will."

I opened my mouth to object then closed it. Repeating the action a couple of times until I realized I must look like a goldfish and stopped.

Up until that moment that thought wouldn't have even crossed my mind. Of course I wanted him to say it back.

_Didn't I?_

Ok, so maybe it was the most terrifying feeling I'd ever felt, being so completely willing to give myself over to someone else, but it was a good terrifying, wasn't it?

"I..." I began, finally able to make vocal sounds again.

"Alec, it's completely understandable. I wasn't bringing it up to make fun of you or imply that it was wrong. But it is something you need to face."

"It's all just so...new. And terrifying. Magnus makes me feel like a completely different person sometimes. I say and do things with him that I could barely even think about saying and doing before we met. I don't know how to deal with that."

"Do you like the person you are when you're with him?"

"Yes." I didn't have to think before replying. I loved everything about being with him, including how much more confident he made me.

"Then you shouldn't be worrying about that. He has a good effect on you. And it's obvious he makes you happy. Do you think you haven't changed him as well?"

"No, I know I have, Will made that pretty clear. But aren't you not supposed to have to change for the person you love?"

"One of these days were going to address how archaic your views of love are, but I don't have the energy for that today." Jem laughed, sitting back into a more comfortable position. "Did Magnus ask you to change any of these things? Did you ask him?"

Well when he put it that way...

"No... But-"

"But nothing. People change you. That's life. Living with me has changed you, hanging out with your sister has changed you, it's natural. You've changed _because _of Magnus, not _for _him. There's a difference."

I thought about what he was saying. It made perfect sense.

"You really should be going into counseling, not pediatrics." We both laughed for a few minutes and I felt myself relaxing finally.

"Thank you, for listening to my insanity. It's just all going so different from how I had planned it."

"You and your plans. You can't control love Alec. And I am more than certain that you can't control Magnus Bane."

My brain instantly went to the gutter, to last night when I had ordered him around...

_Focus. _

That wasn't what he meant and I knew it. And Jem was right. Before Magnus, everything in my life had fit into neat little compartments and every decision had been carefully planned and thought through; I'd sworn off impulse long ago. But now... Everything was impulse now. Everything was new and different and spur of the moment.

"I don't know if I can handle not being in control." I almost whispered. "No, let me rephrase that; I _know_ I can't handle not being in control. Look at what happened with Will for god's sake. I just feel... Too much. I can't handle it." I pulled my knees into my chest and rested my head on them. After a moment I felt Jem's hand on my back, moving slowly up and down my spine like how one would sooth a child who'd had a nightmare.

"You _can _handle it Alec. You just need to get used to trusting again. I know it's hard, and frightening, believe me I know. But you can't let your fear rule you. Let yourself be happy, for once. Stop thinking about what might happen and just let it happen."

I took a few deep breaths and gathered my resolve. Jem was right, as usual. Shutting out the good just because it could lead it something bad maybe accomplished nothing except ensuring that I will die a lonely virgin with plenty of time for school and nothing else. And if there was anyone I wanted to take a chance on, it was Magnus.

I hugged Jem.

"I don't know what I would do without you." I admitted honestly.

"As long as I'm here, I'm here for you."


End file.
